


on your twinkling star (i will always stay)

by kihyuks



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Angst with a Happy Ending, Camping, Carnival, Cuddling & Snuggling, Day At The Beach, Falling In Love, Ferris Wheels, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Sharing a Bed, Stargazing, Strangers to Lovers, Trans Male Character, Virus, hyungwon is a trans guy and minhyuk is nb, i promise its just mostly fluff, its not overly angsty, side wonhyuk and showheon, the summary makes it sound angstier than it is, this isnt a zombie au hjhsds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 34,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22150705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kihyuks/pseuds/kihyuks
Summary: when hyungwon is invited by his best friend, hyunwoo, on a road trip around korea, the last thing he expects is to fall in love. then, an outbreak of a deadly virus threatens the group’s happiness, especially hyungwon’s, but together they overcome it, even if it requires some unconventional methods.
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Im Changkyun | I.M, Chae Hyungwon/Im Changkyun | I.M/Yoo Kihyun, Chae Hyungwon/Yoo Kihyun, Im Changkyun | I.M/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 12
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [ready_for_it_mx_fest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ready_for_it_mx_fest) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Newton MV AU - Seven friends go out to the country for spring break and halfway through the trip they hear on the radio that an outbreak has occured and the city is under quarantine. Any pairings.
> 
> this kinda went completely off track tbh and ended up as this monster but i mean hopefully it's enjoyable!!! there r bad jokes in here be warned i have a terrible sense of humour
> 
> disclaimer i feel like i have to include: trans/nb ppls experiences r all unique n so the ones shown in this r obviously not everyones!! i just wanted to include some trans rep where it wasnt the focus of the fic but rather just a Thing thats there. if anyone has any questions since obviously this is not explained well u can feel free to ask but theres lots of resources on google n stuff if you wanna learn more!!

Hyungwon steps over a stray t-shirt, abandoned on the wooden floor of his bedroom. It’s one of many t-shirts strewn across the room. He kneels down in front of his open suitcase which is mostly empty. With a sigh, he plucks one of the t-shirts from the floor and, without even bothering to see which one it is, folds it and places it into his bag. He turns back to look at Hyunwoo with a proud smile. “Progress, see?”

Hyunwoo, who’s sitting on Hyungwon’s bed watching him pack, raises an eyebrow. “One t-shirt hardly counts as progress in an almost empty suitcase.”

Scowling, Hyungwon picks another random t-shirt and packs that one into his case, too.

“I’m not sure if you’ll be finished packing by tomorrow morning if you continue at this rate,” Hyunwoo says.

Hyungwon’s eyes widen. “Oh, _fuck_ ,” he groans loudly. “It’s tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, it is,” Hyunwoo replies. “Are you prepared?”

A frown appears on Hyungwon’s face. He gestures to his not even half packed suitcase. “Does it look like it?”

“I meant to meet everyone.”

“Oh, yeah, I knew you meant that.” (He didn’t.) “I’m, uh, absolutely ready. Totally. Yeah.”

A sinking feeling settles in the pit of Hyungwon’s stomach. It’s not like he’s unhappy about going on the road trip, he’s actually rather excited for it, but out of the seven of them who are going together, Hyungwon only knows Hyunwoo and Jooheon. The other four, despite having heard lots about them, are complete strangers to Hyungwon.

Hyungwon wouldn’t describe himself as a very social person. He doesn’t dislike spending time with people or anything of the sort - he loves to spend as much time as possible with Hyunwoo and Jooheon, in fact - but he is a bit insecure (read: a lot insecure) and so the fear of judgement holds him back a bit. The only friends he really has are Hyunwoo and Jooheon, but that doesn’t bother him too much. How many friends he has isn’t important, it’s how good those friends are, and Hyunwoo and Jooheon are two of the best people he’s ever met.

The other four people being close friends with Hyunwoo and Jooheon reassures him because he knows neither of them would ever befriend anyone but the best, but having to meet four new people and spend hours upon hours with them terrifies Hyungwon. 

But, Hyungwon’s made a promise to himself to put himself out there and make some new friends. He won’t let his insecurities get the best of him any longer and this road trip is going to be the first step towards achieving that. 

“You’re going to love everyone, I promise,” Hyunwoo reassures. He knows about Hyungwon’s hesitation about the trip and how afraid he is about having to meet new people and he’s been nothing but kind and reassuring. “Remember they’re all LGBTQ+ as well, if that helps.”

And it does help to know that, but still, Hyungwon can’t completely shake the anxiety. “What if they hate me?”

“They won’t. They’re all going to love you and think you’re a great and wonderful guy.”

Hyunwoo’s reassurance and compliments help to ease the anxiety Hyungwon’s feeling. “Thanks,” he says with a smile.

Hyungwon relaxes for a moment but then he remembers that his suitcase still isn’t packed and he turns to look at it with a sigh. His packing method of picking random clothes out of his closet and throwing them on the floor and telling himself to pack them later hasn’t worked out so well for him so far, it seems. If there’s one thing Hyungwon really hates, it’s having to pack clothes, which is exactly why he’s left it so last minute. It’s even harder this time, too, because he doesn’t know how long they’re going to be on the road trip for, what weather they’re going to face, or even how often they’ll be able to find launderettes to wash their clothes. The van they’ve borrowed for their trip is rather small and can’t fit much luggage in along with the seven of them, so Hyungwon needs to try and squeeze as much as possible into his tiny suitcase. 

He looks around the room at all of the clothes he needs to fold and turns back to Hyunwoo in despair. “Please help me back,” he whines sullenly.

Without complaint Hyunwoo stands from Hyungwon’s bed and crosses the short distance over to where Hyungwon is sitting with his case. “Do you want to collect the clothes you want to pack and pass them to me and I’ll fold and pack?” he offers.

“Yes, please.”

They get a good system going. Hyungwon collects items of clothing from the floor, his closet and his drawers and hands them over to Hyunwoo who folds them far more neatly than Hyungwon had been doing. 

It takes a decent chunk of time for them to get it packed and ready, but once they’re done Hyungwon feels extremely accomplished. He flops back onto his bed with a triumphant smile. “I’m so glad that’s done. I’ve been putting it off for too long.”

“I told you to pack earlier,” Hyunwoo reminds him as he joins him on the bed.

That’s right, he did, but Hyungwon never listens. Every single time without fail he ends up packing last minute, even though he tells himself each time that he won’t do it again and he’ll prepare in advance the next time.

Now that he’s done, though, he can spend the rest of the night relaxing and hopefully get some good sleep before the big day tomorrow. They don’t have to be up too early, but Hyungwon’s sure it’s going to be an exhausting day, so he wants to get as much rest as he possibly can before they set off.

Hyunwoo’s phone dings and he pulls it out of his pocket. “Minhyuk just text me,” he says. “They said they’re excited to finally meet you.”

“Tell them I am too.”

Out of all of Hyunwoo’s friends, Hyungwon thinks Minhyuk is the person he’s most looking forward to meeting. He’s heard so much about them from Hyunwoo and Jooheon, many of the things they’ve told him being stories about all the ridiculous yet hilarious things that Minhyuk does and says. In a selfish way, he’s also looking forward to finally having a friend who understands him in a way that Hyunwoo and Jooheon don’t. As much as he loves them, and as respectful and kind as they are, there are just things that they can’t relate to as they’re cis people, and so it’ll be nice for Hyungwon to have a friend who has similar, even if not the same, experiences as his own.

There’s a question that’s been stuck on Hyungwon’s mind ever since Hyunwoo invited him on the road trip, so he decides to finally ask the question. “Should I come out to everyone?” 

“That’s your choice,” Hyunwoo replies, “but I know that all of them will accept you and want to be your friend just the same. If you don’t want to tell them or you want to wait to tell any of them, that’s okay too and all of them will understand.”

Hyungwon nods, reassured. “I might tell Minhyuk,” he says. “Maybe the others later on.”

“They’ll be understanding, don’t worry.”

* * *

“They’re almost here,” Hyunwoo says. He pockets his phone and approaches Hyungwon then places a hand on Hyungwon’s bouncing leg, stilling it. “You’re gonna be fine. Minhyuk and Hoseok are both lovely.”

Hyungwon simply hums. His mouth feels dry and his heart is beating faster than usual. When he woke up Hyungwon felt fine, but as the time had passed and as it gets closer and closer to the time Minhyuk and Hoseok are meant to arrive to pick them up, the more fearful Hyungwon becomes.

They wait in silence. The seconds tick by and as the anticipation grows, so does his anxiety.

A knock at the door.

Hyungwon’s heart feels like it’s going to beat out of his chest.

Hyunwoo answers the door while Hyungwon waits in the living room for him to return. There’s the sound of chatting in the hallway, but Hyungwon’s too far away to make out what’s being said. All he can really hear is the sound of his own heartbeat.

An unfamiliar face surrounded by blonde hair peaks around the door. “Hyungwon?”

“Yeah?”

As they enter the room, Hyungwon realises the person must be Minhyuk. When Hyungwon had bleached his hair before he dyed it Hyunwoo had made a joke about how Minhyuk and him would be the first to go bald because of their bleaching, and so it has to be Minhyuk now standing in front of him.

They’re wearing a white crop top covered by a pale pink blazer along with matching pink trousers. Not what Hyungwon would go to personally to sit around in a van for hours, but he has to admit they look good. Their hair falls just above their shoulders and the top half of their hair is braided along the top into a tiny ponytail. They’re attractive, Hyungwon notes.

Hyungwon stands from the sofa, realising it’s rather rude to just sit there while Minhyuk’s standing. When Hyungwon stands up the two of them stand at around the same height, except Hyungwon’s maybe a little taller. His height has always been something he’s been super happy with.

“Your hair matches my outfit,” they say excitedly, and sure enough the pink of their blazer and trousers are almost the exact same shade as Hyungwon’s hair. “Oh, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Minhyuk. It’s nice to meet you finally.” They stick their hand out and Hyungwon shakes it gladly.

“Hyungwon, but I think you already knew that,” Hyungwon replies. 

“I’ve heard so much about you,” Minhyuk says with a smile. “It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”

“Me too,” Hyungwon agrees.

“Come on.” Minhyuk takes Hyungwon’s wrist and starts leading him out of the living room and towards the front door. “I need to introduce you to the love of my life.”

In the hall Hyunwoo is talking to another man who must obviously be Hoseok and the person Minhyuk was referring to. He’s wearing jeans and a pink shirt that matches Minhyuk’s outfit and Hyungwon wonders if it was chosen on purpose or not. Other than his outfit, the first thing that Hyungwon notices about him is that he has _huge_ muscles, even bigger than Hyunwoo’s. Hyungwon doesn’t even have time to feel intimidated by them because Hoseok turns and smiles at him. He has the kindest smile and Hyungwon instantly feels comfortable around him. “Hi. I’m Hoseok, Minhyuk’s boyfriend.” He holds out his hand and Hyungwon shakes it like he had done with Minhyuk.

“Hyungwon. No one’s boyfriend, sadly,” Hyungwon replies. 

Minhyuk and Hoseok both grin and laugh and Hyungwon feels proud that he was able to bring amusement to the both of them already.

“You’re cute, Hyungwonnie,” Minhyuk says. “Can I call you Hyungwonnie?”

“Go ahead.”

After they introduce themselves, Hoseok realises that they’re already running behind schedule when he checks the time on his phone. Hyunwoo carries his own suitcase over to the van and Hoseok offers to take Hyungwon’s, which Hyungwon is thankful for. He hates carrying heavy suitcases around. 

“I’m going to do one last check to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything,” Hyungwon calls out to Hyunwoo. He turns to Minhyuk who’s still waiting with him in the hall. “Do you want to come with me?”

Minhyuk agrees and they start asking questions about Hyungwon as the two of them make their way around the flat to check for anything Hyungwon might’ve forgotten to pack. Hyungwon answers all of their questions easily and asks some of his own questions back. He really appreciates them trying to get to know him better and make him feel comfortable around them. It makes Hyungwon’s nerves for the trip decrease.

In a lapse in conversation while Hyungwon is doing one last check around his bedroom, he realises he wants to get it over and done with and come out to Minhyuk now. Coming out to people is never fun, it’s terrifying, actually, and despite all the experience Hyungwon’s had with it, it just never gets easier. He sucks in a deep breath and builds up his courage. “Hey, Minhyuk,” he says, voice shaking, “can I tell you something?”

“Hmm? Are you okay?” Minhyuk asks, concerned. 

Hyungwon sits down on his bed. Standing up while doing this just doesn’t feel right for some reason. 

Beside him, Minhyuk sits down too and puts a hand on Hyungwon’s knee and squeezes reassuringly.

“Yeah, I just, uh,” he hesitates. Even knowing Minhyuk wouldn’t possibly judge him and they’d completely understand him doesn’t make it any easier. Hyungwon hates doing this, but he knows he’ll feel better once it’s done.

“You can tell me anything, Hyungwonnie,” Minhyuk reassures. “We’re friends now, you’re stuck with me. I’m your parent now.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not even that much older than me.” Hyungwon rolls his eyes. Then, he swallows, take a deep breath, and finally comes out with it. “I’m trans.”

He gets pulled in for a hug before he can even blink. “Thank you for trusting me,” Minhyuk says as they squeeze him tight. “And if you ever wanna talk about it, I’m all ears.”

Hyungwon feels like his whole body deflates. He squeezes Minhyuk back and says, “Thank you. I’m glad we’re going on this road trip together. I hope we get closer.”

Minhyuk pulls away from their hug and taps the end of Hyungwon’s nose. “You’re cute. We’re going to be good friends. Although, we should probably get going now.”

“Oh, right, yeah.”

The two of them head back downstairs and out to the van where Hoseok and Hyunwoo are waiting for them.

“Ready to go get the others?” Hoseok asks.

Hyungwon nods. He takes one last look at his and Hyunwoo’s flat, smiles at it, and then gets into the van, ready to go and collect the others and begin their road trip.

* * *

Jooheon had been out of the front of his flat with his suitcase waiting for them when they drove to pick him up which made it really easy to pack his stuff into the van. With Jooheon now picked up, they’re on the way to their final stop - Changkyun and Kihyun’s flat.

“So, bets on how prepared they’re going to be?” Jooheon, who’s sitting in the passenger seat of the van up front, asks. 

“Kihyun will be packed and ready, but Changkyun won’t be and they’ll both be panicking trying to shove all of his things into a case,” Minhyuk answers with a giggle. They’re sitting in the back of the van with Hyungwon and Hoseok.

“I don’t think I can even argue with that,” Hyunwoo says from the driver’s seat. “We’re all probably going to have to go in there and help them.”

Looking over at Hyunwoo driving the van reminds Hyungwon that they haven’t really discussed who’s going to be driving when. “Oh, who’s driving tomorrow, by the way?”

“I can do it,” Hoseok offers.

“Sure. I’ll take the day after,” Hyungwon agrees. “I know Jooheon doesn’t like driving, so we’ll skip him. Minhyuk?”

Everyone bursts into laughter at that. Hyungwon tilts his head to the side and looks over Hoseok, wondering what’s going on.

Hoseok takes pity on him and explains. “We don’t trust Minhyuk behind a wheel. They’d probably crash.”

“Hey!” Minhyuk shouts indignantly. They smack Hoseok’s shoulder with the back of their hand. “I’d be an amazing driver.”

Jooheon chokes out another laugh. “You would absolutely not. You and Changkyun are never allowed to drive if I’m a passenger.”

Minhyuk pouts and slumps in their seat. “You’re all mean,” they whine.

The pouting doesn’t last long because Hoseok leans over and kisses their cheek, which brings a huge smile to their face. “Okay, fine. Everyone except my Hoseokkie is mean.”

“Me? Mean?” Hyungwon holds a hand to his chest and gasps in mock offence. “How dare you. I’ve never been mean in my life.”

“Okay, fine. My son isn’t mean.”

“Your son?” Hoseok raises an eyebrow. “We have a child now?”

Minhyuk nods. “Hyungwonnie is my son.”

Hyungwon rolls his eyes and laughs. “When’s your birthday?”

“3rd November, why?”

“Year?” Hyungwon prompts.

“Oh, 1993.”

“You’re 2 months older than me,” Hyungwon says blankly. “I am not your son.”

“Adopted son,” Minhyuk insists. “My son who I love and care for very much.”

“Didn’t you two just meet today?” Jooheon asks.

“We have a _bond_ ,” Minhyuk whispers conspiratorially, except it’s not much of a whisper because they say it loudly enough for everyone in the van to hear. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“I feel left out,” Hoseok complains. “Jooheon, let’s have a bond together, too.”

“Our bond is the gym,” Jooheon says with a nod. “Me, you and Hyunwoo are gym buddies.”

Minhyuk fake gags. “That was the most heterosexual thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

Jooheon gasps, a hand to his chest. “How dare you accuse me of such a thing. Of being a he-“ He cuts himself off. “It’s too disgusting. I can’t even say it.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Hyunwoo says, “but we’re here.”

Hyungwon looks out of the window to see that they have in fact come to a stop outside a block of flats. The building looks tall, but modern, and Hyungwon wonders if the rooms inside look as nice as the outside of the building. All types of plants line the front of the building.

A hand waves in front of Hyungwon’s face and he blinks and turns to see who it is, finding Jooheon waiting at the door of the van. Hyungwon looks around and realises that everyone else is already out of the van. They must’ve got out when he was distracted with examining the building.

“You coming?” Jooheon asks. “We’re all heading up.”

Hyungwon nods and steps out of the van. The five of them enter the building and take the lift up to the seventh floor where Changkyun and Kihyun’s flat is located. 

They all exit the lift one by one, Hyungwon exiting last as he doesn’t know where their flat is. They stop outside one of the doors and Hyunwoo lifts his hand to knock at the door, but before he’s able to a loud crash comes from inside followed by a high-pitched whine and then someone yelling, “For fucks sake, Changkyun.”

Hyungwon, eyebrows raised, looks over to Jooheon, who just shrugs at him. “They’re always like this,” he offers as an explanation.

Hyunwoo knocks on the door and it flies open within seconds. 

A flustered looking man is on the other side of the door. His eyes widen when he sees all of them standing there and he puffs out his cheeks. “Hi.”

Hyungwon doesn’t know whether the man is Kihyun or Changkyun, but what he does know is he’s beautiful and Hyungwon is in awe of it. Even in his frazzled state, with his hair messy and a smudge of something on his cheek, he somehow still looks ethereal and Hyungwon almost chokes on his breath.

He’s dressed simply in a wooly red jumper over a white shirt. His hair is a silver-grey colour and slightly wavy and everything about him looks sharp and angled. 

Another man appears into view, a smirk on his face. His hair is black and Hyungwon sees a glint of something above his eye and -- is that an eyebrow piercing? His ears are also filled with piercings and, well, Hyungwon kind of wants to scream. Does Hyunwoo only have super attractive friends or something?

“Great, they’re both beautiful,” he mutters under his breath.

Hyungwon thought he was quiet enough from everyone else that none of them would hear, but a quiet laugh comes from his left and he turns his head to see Minhyuk grinning at him. They pat his head and say, “Hang in there, son.”

“So, we’re maybe not packed,” the one with the eyebrow piercing says.

“You mean _you’re_ not packed. I’ve been packed for days,” the other replies and Hyungwon realises he must be Kihyun, based off the conversation earlier. Kihyun turns back from glaring at Changkyun and looks helplessly to the five of them waiting at his door. “Can we just go without him?”

Changkyun whines and clings to Kihyun’s arm. “You can’t go without me. I’m too cute.”

Kihyun blinks at him, then sighs. “You are an inconvenience to my life.”

“You love me,” Changkyun singsongs. Then, to the rest of them, he says, “Wanna come help me pack?”

“No, not really,” Hyunwoo says, “but I guess we’ll have to.”

They all file into the flat and it’s an absolute state. If Hyungwon thought his room was a mess when he was packing, their flat is somehow ten times worse. There are clothes strewn everywhere, drawers and cupboards left open and boxes all over the place. Hyungwon takes a peek into the kitchen and it looks completely spotless in there, but their living room is in complete disarray for some reason. 

“It’s not usually like this,” comes a voice from beside Hyungwon and he looks over to see it’s Kihyun. “Changkyun lost something and insisted that he needed to find it and, well, this happened.” He gestures to the room in explanation. “I’m Kihyun, by the way.”

“I’m Hyungwon.”

“The infamous Hyungwon, huh? It’s nice to finally meet you.” Kihyun smiles at him and Hyungwon’s only thoughts are how pretty he is.

Which, sadly, he blurts out. “Do you know how pretty you are?”

Pink colours Kihyun’s cheeks and he giggles quietly. “Thank you. You’re quite pretty yourself.”

“Not pretty,” Hyungwon replies. He hates that compliment. He knows it shouldn’t make him feel bad, but it does. It feels too feminine. Not that there’s anything wrong with being feminine, of course, but Hyungwon doesn’t want to be seen like that.

“Handsome?” Kihyun offers.

Hyungwon grins. “That I’ll take.”

“Alright, handsome. Guess we should probably go help the others.”

* * *

The road trip starts with Hyungwon realising that this van is not very big, even smaller than Hyunwoo had described to him, and it’s a tight squeeze in the back of the van with five of them and everyone’s luggage. Hyunwoo and Jooheon have the good seats for the day sitting up front. Hyungwon’s currently squeezed between Minhyuk and Changkyun who he hasn’t yet managed to introduce himself to amongst the frantic packing that had occurred in his and Kihyun’s flat.

“Hey, I’m Hyungwon, by the way,” Hyungwon says, sticking out his hand. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to you yet.”

“Oh, yeah, I was too busy running around like a headless chicken,” Changkyun jokes. He shakes Hyungwon’s hand with a grin. “Hyunwoo’s told us a lot about you.”

“Only good things, I hope?”

Changkyun wiggles his eyebrows. “Maybe, maybe not. You’ll never know.”

Minhyuk leans over Hyungwon all of a sudden with a raised eyebrow. “Changkyun are you being mean to Hyungwonnie?”

Changkyun scoffs. “Of course not. We’re getting to know each other.”

Minhyuk squints, but accepts it. They sit back and return to their conversation with Hoseok and Kihyun.

Changkyun grins at Hyungwon again. Then, he decides that poking Jooheon in the back of his head through the gap between the headrest and the seat is an amusing way to pass his time. Jooheon’s annoyed reactions cause everyone to burst into laughter and only encourages Changkyun to continue doing it.

Amidst all the laughter and talking, Hyungwon takes a moment to sit back and breathe.

He’s proud of himself. Proud that he’s put himself out there, he’s making new friends, he’s having a new experience. And everyone seems so nice so far, all welcoming him into their little friendship group as if he’s been there all along. He feels like he fits in, doesn’t feel like an outcast like he’d worried about. Even though they all know each other a lot better than he does, he feels welcomed and like he can form strong friendships on this trip.

He smiles to himself, feeling positive and excited for their road trip to come. 

* * *

Changkyun seems restless. His leg won’t stop bouncing, shaking against Hyungwon’s leg, and he keeps fidgeting in his seat. Hyungwon watches him out of the corner of his eye and when he sees Changkyun fidget again once more he finally gives in. “You okay?” he asks quietly.

“Really gotta use the toilet,” Changkyun whispers back. He sounds frantic and Hyungwon just about holds back his laugh.

“Don’t worry, I got this,” Hyungwon says and pats Changkyun’s knee, partially to show reassurance and partially to stop it bouncing against his leg. “Hey, Hyunwoo,” he calls. “Can we stop off at a toilet when you spot one?”

“Yeah, sure,” Hyunwoo replies.

A few moments later, Jooheon, obviously having googled where the nearest toilet is, says, “There’s a petrol station up ahead about five minutes away which should have a toilet.”

“Oh, thank god,” Changkyun mutters.

When they pull up to the petrol station, Changkyun slides the door open frantically and then goes running out of the van. He runs towards the building, pauses, looks around, then must spot the toilet because he goes running once again. Hyungwon can’t help but giggle as he watches him.

“We should probably buy some snacks while we’re here,” Hoseok suggests.

They all hum in agreement and make their way into the petrol station shop.

Hyungwon wanders up and down each of the aisles of the shop. There’s so much choice in there, far more than he expected, so he ends up taking a while to decide.

After much deliberation, he settles on a bag of crisps and a bar of chocolate. It’s not much, but he’s not super hungry right now. They’re most likely going to find a restaurant to eat at later, so there’s not much use in him eating lots now.

Once he pays for his snacks, he returns to the van. Kihyun and Changkyun, having already finished paying for their own snacks, are waiting there.

“Hey,” Kihyun greets. “Get anything nice?”

Hyungwon holds up his snacks. “Don’t wanna stuff myself before we get food later.”

Changkyun, who has his hand buried in a bag of Doritos, says, “Stuff yourself twice. It’s more fun that way.”

Kihyun grimaces. “You’re so gross.”

“You love me,” Changkyun replies, not for the first time that day.

Kihyun rolls his eyes, but he smiles. “This is why you’re single. You’re too gross.”

“Nah, I think it’s the fact he acts like a cishet when he’s a gay man,” Jooheon says as he climbs into the front seat of the van.

“You are so rude,” Changkyun says, mouth still full of Doritos, and points an accusing finger at Jooheon. “There is nothing remotely cishet about me.”

Jooheon looks pointedly at the bag of Doritos and unopened bottle of Mountain Dew. “Sure, nothing at all.”

Changkyun whines loudly. “Let me enjoy things in peace. I’m breaking stereotypes over here.”

Hyungwon giggles and Changkyun glares at him half-heartedly. “Don’t tell me you agree with them.”

Hyungwon holds his hands up, feigning innocence. “I’m saying nothing.”

Changkyun shoves more Doritos into his mouth and slumps into his seat with a pout on his face.

Hyungwon pats him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Changkyun,” he says, attempting to sound as sympathetic as possible. “There’s always the token cishet in every friendship group.”

Kihyun and Jooheon start cackling alongside Hyungwon’s giggles at his own joke.

A few minutes later, Minhyuk, Hoseok and Hyunwoo return to the van, all carrying various different snacks. Minhyuk raises an eyebrow as they sit down next to Hyungwon again. “What on earth happened in here?” 

“Do. Not. Ask,” Changkyun says, trying his best to look threatening. However, his threatening look isn’t all that threatening to Hyungwon. He just thinks Changkyun looks downright adorable.

A song starts blasting from the speakers. Jooheon turns back to look at all of them sitting in the back of the van with a grin, holding up his phone to show that it’s plugged into the AUX cord.

“Oh my god,” Changkyun says, perking up. His Doritos fall to the floor as he sits up, but he doesn’t even seem to notice. “Kihyun, let’s go.”

“Really? Now?”

Changkyun nods. “Yes. You can’t turn down a duet.”

Hyungwon isn’t really sure what’s going on, but no one else seems even remotely phased by it, so he just keeps his mouth shut and waits to see how it plays out.

And oh, is it far better than he could’ve possibly imagined.

It isn’t until Kihyun starts singing during the chorus that Hyungwon realises exactly what song is being played.

“Wake me up inside,” Kihyun sings. His voice is _good_. Hyungwon wonders if he’s ever been trained, or if his voice is just naturally that beautiful sounding.

“I can’t wake up,” Changkyun screams, rather than sings.

“Wake me up inside,” Kihyun sings once again. He grins at Hyungwon’s shocked face and the expression he wears tells Hyungwon that he _knows_ he’s good.

Changkyun throws his arms in the air and yells, “Save me.”

“Call my name and save me from the dark.”

Their little duet continues until the song finishes. Changkyun is completely out of breath by the end, clearly from all the physical effort he’d put in throwing himself all over the place as he ‘sang’. Kihyun is just laughing, looking overjoyed.

“So, how’d you feel about your first Changki performance?” Hoseok asks Hyungwon.

“Honestly, best rendition of Bring Me To Life I’ve ever heard.”

“Aww, Hyungwon, you’re too kind,” Changkyun says, falling against Hyungwon’s shoulder. “I’m gonna sleep on you now. I’m tired.”

“Singing really wears you out, huh?”

Hyungwon feels Changkyun’s head move against his shoulder and assumes it’s his attempt to nod.

For someone who usually freezes up when shown physical affection, Hyungwon’s shocked at how easy and comfortable he finds it with his new friends. It feels nice, even, just to have someone close to him.

“I don’t snore, but if I snore just smack me,” Changkyun says quietly.

Hyungwon laughs and agrees. He shuffles a little to make himself comfortable and then shuts his eyes, his own exhaustion from his lack of sleep hitting him finally.

* * *

Kihyun, cheeks stuffed with the curry they’d just bought, says happily, “This is really good. I’m glad we decided to sit outside, too. That restaurant was so stuffy and tiny.”

“Speak for yourself,” Changkyun mutters, poking his food around on his plate. “I don’t like spicy food.”

“You have your Doritos in the van,” Hyungwon points out.

Changkyun whines loudly. “The van is far.” He pouts and does his best puppy dog eyes. “Will you go get my Doritos?”

Hyungwon laughs. It’s a valiant effort on Changkyun’s part, but Hyungwon’s not that easy. “Get them yourself.”

Changkyun huffs and crosses his arms like a petulant child.

“This is what you get for thinking your tricks would work on Hyungwon because he hasn’t dealt with you being whiny yet,” Jooheon says with a grin.

Because Hyungwon had caught on so quickly to Changkyun’s tricks he hadn’t fallen for it, but the pout on Changkyun’s face does tug on his heartstrings a little. “I’ll go with you to get snacks tomorrow, if you want.”

Changkyun’s face lights up. “You will?”

“Of course.”

“Good luck,” Kihyun says seriously. “He’s a menace.”

This starts off Changkyun and Kihyun bickering with each other, curries forgotten. As amusing as their petty arguments can be, Hyungwon ends up zoning them both out as he finishes off the rest of his curry.

Hyungwon spies movement out of the corner of his eye and turns his head to see Hyunwoo shuffling over to him. “Have you been enjoying the trip so far?” he asks. “You seem to get along with everyone really well.”

“It’s been great,” Hyungwon replies, and he means it. “I feel like I fit right in even though everyone only met me today.”

Hyunwoo elbows him lightly with a smile. “I told you you’d be fine.”

Hyungwon hums and nods. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“I couldn’t not invite my best friend, now, could I?”

Hyungwon and Hyunwoo’s conversation gets cut off when Jooheon yells, “Guys, look, a shooting star!”

Sure enough, a bright white light shoots across the inky black sky above them. Hyungwon’s eyes follow it as it zips across the sky.

“Everyone make a wish,” Minhyuk says. 

Hyungwon isn’t sure whether he believes in wishing on shooting stars or not, but he does it regardless. He thinks quickly, trying to come up with the perfect wish, and when he does he shuts his eyes tight. _I wish for this road trip to go well and for all of us to be happy and healthy_. 

Satisfied, he opens his eyes again and sees the shooting star one last time as it disappears into the distance. 

“I’ve never seen a shooting star before,” Changkyun says, awe in his voice. “That’s so cool.”

“What did you wish for?” Jooheon asks. 

Changkyun opens his mouth to answer, but is cut off by Minhyuk shushing them both loudly. “If you tell your wish it won’t come true.”

Changkyun raises an eyebrow, looks like he doesn’t believe them, but then he shuts his mouth and doesn’t say a word. 

Minhyuk looks extremely pleased. “Now all our wishes should hopefully come true.”

And Hyungwon really hopes they do. 

* * *

They decide to camp out in the field together. None of them are sure if it’s technically allowed, but after some phone calls to all of the nearby places, they realise that there aren’t any reasonably priced places that can accommodate all seven of them. So, they vote and decide that the field will be the best option. Hyungwon had expected to have to camp out more nights than not, anyway, so he’s not too upset about them camping out instead of finding a hotel or something.

Despite it not being the warmest out (not by a long run), Hyungwon feels quite warm. He’s wrapped up in his warm wooly jumper and, even though they’d forgotten their sleeping bags, they’d remembered to bring along some blankets with them. Sadly, though, they’d only brought four blankets along with them and so sharing is necessary.

Changkyun claims one of the blankets for himself and claims that because he has privileges as the youngest he doesn’t have to share, at least for the first night. No one argues with him, letting him do what he wants, and he seems really pleased with himself. 

Hoseok and Minhyuk share one blanket between them and Hyunwoo offers to share with Hyungwon, but Hyungwon is well aware of Hyunwoo’s crush on Jooheon and knows this is the _perfect_ opportunity for some potential relationship development (because really, they need to get their shit together already) so he says he’ll share with Kihyun instead. None of it has to do with Hyungwon thinking Kihyun is cute, of course. It’s purely just him being a good friend to Hyunwoo. That’s it. 

Lying in the grass, staring up at the sky with Kihyun next to him and the blanket tucked up to their chins isn’t how Hyungwon would’ve expected his first night to be before coming on the road trip, but he realises he has no issue with it at all now he’s here. 

The two of them are barely touching, as far apart as the blanket will allow them to be, because Hyungwon is afraid of making Kihyun uncomfortable and he’s sure Kihyun feels the same, but Hyungwon can feel the warmth radiating off of Kihyun. 

Kihyun’s still awake - Hyungwon can tell by his breathing pattern - unlike the others who seem to have already fallen asleep. At least, Jooheon and Hyunwoo are asleep for sure because Hyungwon can hear them both snoring, and he assumes Changkyun, Minhyuk and Hoseok have fallen asleep too because he hasn’t heard any sounds from any of them in a while. 

“Are you awake?” Kihyun whispers. 

“Yeah, are you?” Hyungwon replies. Then, he realises what a ridiculous thing that is to say and starts laughing, which makes Kihyun laugh too. 

Hyungwon tries to laugh as quietly as possible as he doesn’t want to wake anyone up, but whenever he has to laugh quietly it somehow becomes even harder to stop laughing, and so the two of them end up laughing together for quite a while. 

When they finally calm down, Hyungwon is out of breath. 

Kihyun sounds it, too, and Hyungwon’s glad he’s not the only one who gets winded from laughter. 

“The stars are beautiful,” Kihyun says after some time of the two of them just lying there in silence (other than Jooheon and Hyunwoo’s snores in the background, of course). 

Hyungwon hums. “They are. Do you have a favourite constellation?”

Kihyun takes a while to reply and Hyungwon almost thinks he’s fallen asleep, but then he says, “Vulpecula. It’s faint, but it’s meant to represent a fox. I don’t know, foxes are just cool.”

It’s sweet how Kihyun not only knows enough constellations to be able to name a less common one, but also that he seems to have a reasoning for that being his favourite. Hyungwon doesn’t voice this, though, and instead says, “Where in the sky is it?”

Kihyun points just off to the right of them. Hyungwon tries to follow his hand and figure out where the constellation is, but he can’t really tell. “I can’t see it, sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s a hard one to spot.”

They lapse back into silence and Hyungwon feels himself start to doze off. “Goodnight,” he says quietly. 

“‘Night, Hyungwon,” comes Kihyun’s reply. 

When Hyungwon finally falls asleep he dreams of Kihyun, foxes and the stars above them. 

* * *

The next morning goes by in a blur. They eat their leftover curry (which Changkyun makes sure to complain about until Kihyun ends up covering his mouth up to stop him speaking), pack up their stuff into their van and then continue on driving. 

Hoseok drives, so Minhyuk sits in the front and therefore has control over the music, which has resulted in them playing All Star over and over again while maniacally whenever someone asks them to turn it off. 

The first time around, everyone had sung along, but as it plays over and over again everyone’s getting sick of it. Hyungwon doesn’t think he ever wants to hear All Star played ever again at this point. 

“Make it stop,” Changkyun complains. He has his hands covering his ears and his eyes shut which Hyungwon isn’t sure is making a difference since you can’t see sound, but he refrains from making a comment. 

”But Changkyunnie,” Minhyuk says amused, “don’t you want to appreciate the Shrek anthem?”

Changkyun groans and it sounds like he’s in pain. 

“Come on, Min. Turn it off now. You’ve had your fun,” Kihyun demands. 

“Okay, daddy.”

Kihyun shuts his eyes, pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a long, deep breath. 

Hyungwon bites his lip to stop himself from laughing. 

“Stop calling me that.”

Minhyuk turns around with a grin and it looks like they’re about to continue the joke, but upon seeing Kihyun’s impressive glare, they clamp their mouth shut. 

All Star finally stops playing and everyone in the van collectively breathes a sigh of relief. 

Then, We Are Number One starts playing and the laughter comes back. 

It’s going to be a long day, Hyungwon decides. 

* * *

“Hyungwon,” Changkyun says from somewhere behind Hyungwon.

Hyungwon turns his head to see Changkyun’s pouting at him from where he’s sitting on the grass. He raises an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“You promised to come get snacks with me.” It’s impressive how whiny Changkyun is able to make his voice, especially when it’s so deep when he’s speaking regularly. 

Hyungwon did do that. He also forgot he did that. “Where’s the nearest shop?” They’ve taken a stop in a random park to stretch their legs for a little while, so Hyungwon has no idea what there is around here.

Changkyun searches it on his phone and then says, “20 minutes away.” He chews on his lip as Hyungwon contemplates whether he wants to walk that much. 

“Hyunwoo,” Hyungwon calls, gaining the man’s attention, “how much longer are we going to be here?”

“Maybe 30 minutes?” Hyunwoo calls back. 

Hyungwon turns back to Changkyun and smiles sadly. “We don’t have the time, sorry.”

While Hyungwon would’ve expected Changkyun to look sad, he instead has this determined glint in his eye and Hyungwon fears for his life. 

“If you’re not going to go with me,” he says as he stands up from the ground and brushes himself off, “then I’ll just have to go myself.”

“I want to go with you, we just don’t have time.”

Changkyun squints his eyes at that. “Sounds like an excuse to me.” He turns and takes a few steps forward, then pauses, turns back and says, “If I leave here and get kidnapped and _die_ it’s all your fault.”

As he walks away, Hyungwon groans and tries again. “Come back, Changkyun. We can get snacks later. I promise.”

Changkyun stops in his tracks and Hyungwon smiles, thinking he’s decided to listen. 

Instead, Changkyun looks over his shoulder and says, “When I get kidnapped, it’s on you.” 

Hyungwon doesn’t want to give in, but Changkyun just has a way of getting whatever he wants and Hyungwon feels bad abandoning him, so he runs to catch up with Changkyun and then when he’s at his side he says, “You’re dramatic and I hate you.”

“You’ll learn to love me. They all do.”

Hyungwon rolls his eyes. “How long have you known everyone?” he asks, his curiosity getting the best of him. All he knows from Hyunwoo is that he met Minhyuk at his previous job and Minhyuk introduced him to Hoseok, Changkyun and Kihyun, but Hyungwon never found out how they knew each other before. 

“I met Minhyuk in school when I moved here. They were assigned as my mentor, basically, to show me around and help me with anything and we’ve been friends ever since. Kihyun and Minhyuk grew up together, so that’s how I know Kihyun. When I started at university Kihyun needed a roommate and so did I, so that’s why we live together. Minhyuk met Hoseok in one of their classes and introduced him to the rest of us, and as you probably know once they graduated and found a job they met Hyunwoo, which then brought Jooheon into the group, and now you.” Changkyun pauses, laughs. “It’s all because of Minhyuk, apparently.”

“They do seem like the type to make friends easily,” Hyungwon says. “I mean, they decided I’m their son not long after meeting me.”

“That sounds like them.”

They’ve finally made it onto an actual road, rather than walking through grass and trees, but Hyungwon has no idea where they even are. There are houses around, which is a good sign, but Hyungwon is completely depending on Changkyun’s map reading skills to get them to the shop and he has no idea how good his sense of direction actually is. 

A cold breeze blows towards them and Hyungwon shivers. He didn’t dress well for the cold weather as he was expecting them to stay in the van for most of the day where they can have the heating on, and now he’s paying the price. 

“Here,” Changkyun says, holding out his coat. 

“I can’t take your coat,” Hyungwon argues. It’s sweet of Changkyun to offer, but he doesn’t want the other man to be cold because of him. 

Changkyun shakes the coat. “Take it. I won’t get cold.”

Hyungwon comes to a stop and stares at Changkyun. 

Changkyun raises an eyebrow, stares back, and shakes the coat once more. 

Hyungwon sighs, relents, and takes the coat. It fits surprisingly well considering Changkyun’s shoulders are a lot wider than his, even if he’s a little shorter. “Thank you,” he says as he pulls the coat tight around himself, enjoying the warmth it brings. 

Changkyun smiles and the two of them keep walking to find the shop. 

* * *

Changkyun can’t make decisions, Hyungwon learns. 

He’s been standing in the confectionery aisle trying to decide which sweets he wants to buy for nearly ten minutes now and he still hasn’t picked a single thing. 

“Changkyun,” Hyungwon says, exasperated, “we need to get going soon.”

“This is too hard,” Changkyun complains. “I can’t do choice. There’s too much of it.”

Hyungwon realises why no one else wanted to go with him to get snacks and why he was warned against it by Kihyun, but he can’t even find it in himself to be annoyed. Changkyun is too sweet, despite how dramatic he is, for Hyungwon to be mad at him. 

“They’re going to leave without us if we don’t get back soon,” Hyungwon reminds him. 

This finally gets Changkyun moving. He grabs several bags all of different bags of sweets and then turns to Hyungwon and says, “Okay, let’s go pay.”

Hyungwon raises an eyebrow. “Did you even look at what you picked?” He starts walking towards the tills alongside Changkyun and his pile of sweets. 

“Nope,” Changkyun replies, popping the ‘p’. 

“You’re ridiculous.”

“That’s why everyone loves me.”

* * *

The others aren’t happy when Hyungwon and Changkyun make it back to the van almost an hour after they left. Changkyun at least has the decency to sheepishly apologise and then offer out his sweets, which easily gets Minhyuk, Jooheon and Hoseok back on his side. 

Kihyun keeps at it for longer, just to tease Changkyun, but he too gives in eventually. 

It makes Hyungwon realise that Changkyun has everyone wrapped around his finger, and he knows it. 

Hoseok starts driving again while they all sit around munching on their sweets and chatting. Jooheon is telling an embarrassing story about Hyungwon, which Hyungwon is not pleased about. 

“Jooheon, stop,” he whines. “No one needs to know about what I did when I was 18. I’m a different person now.”

“No, no, keep going,” Changkyun says. “I’m enjoying this.”

Kihyun, thankfully, is sympathetic towards Hyungwon. He pats his knee and says, “Don’t worry, I have some great stories about Changkyun to tell after. So does Minhyuk.”

“Ooh, yeah,” Minhyuk pipes up. “We can talk about his emo phase?”

Jooheon laughs. “Emo phase? He’s still an emo.”

“I am not.”

“Dude, you were listening to MCR the other day. You are absolutely still an emo,” Jooheon argues. 

Changkyun splutters, tries to come up with a reply, but ultimately fails. 

“So, Hyungwon, do you want to see photos of Changkyun from school when he bleached his hair?” Minhyuk asks, already pulling the photos up on their phone. 

Hyungwon laughs. As curious as he is to see them, Changkyun looks really embarrassed, and as much as he appreciates the redirection of the conversation from embarrassing him to embarrassing Changkyun, the photos are something he can live without. “I don’t think Changkyun wants me to see them, so no. I’m good.”

Everyone seems shocked by Hyungwon’s reply, but the grateful smile Changkyun gives him makes it worth it. 

* * *

The next few days pass by without a hitch. They make good distance, look around new places, have an enjoyable time together. Hyungwon gets closer to everyone on the trip, and he feels happy. He’s so thankful that Hyunwoo invited him on the trip and gave him this opportunity. 

Hyungwon wakes up on the seventh morning with an uncomfortable feeling settling in his stomach. He takes a long, deep breath and pulls his blanket over his head to hide himself, and then curls up into a ball. 

He doesn’t know if any of the others are awake, they’d all slept outside under the stars while Hyungwon had slept in the van, but for right now he really just wants to be alone. 

It’s not like he hadn’t expected the dysphoria to hit him at some point, even if after starting his transition a few years back it has gotten a lot better, but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon. But, sadly, there’s not a lot he can do about it other than try to get through his day and distract himself as best he can. 

So, he throws his blanket off himself and squints his eyes as he tries to adjust to the sunlight streaming through the windows. 

Hyungwon can hear voices outside, so he opens the door of the van and spots Minhyuk and Kihyun sitting on a picnic blanket talking quietly. 

“Good morning,” Hyungwon greets, stumbling out of the van and then joining them on the picnic blanket. 

“Hey, handsome.” Kihyun smiles and it’s far too early for him to be looking so beautiful. “How’d you sleep?”

Hyungwon doesn’t acknowledge the nickname, but a blush does rise to his cheeks. Kihyun’s been calling him handsome all week, ever since they met, but somehow it still affects him. “Good,” he answers. “Although, I could sleep way more.”

Minhyuk hums. “You should go sleep some more.”

“Can’t,” Hyungwon mutters. “Feel weird.”

Kihyun frowns. “You okay?”

Hyungwon nods. He’s not, but he doesn’t want to have to explain himself, so pretending he is is just the easier option.

Kihyun squints, like he doesn’t believe Hyungwon, but he doesn’t call him out on it. Instead, he says, “I’m going to cook us some breakfast. Want anything?”

“Can you make pancakes?” Minhyuk asks. 

“I can try.”

Minhyuk claps once, excitedly, and then says, “I bought all the ingredients just in case. They’re in the van.”

Kihyun hums and then leaves to the van.

With Kihyun gone, Minhyuk turns to Hyungwon, a serious look on their face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Hyungwon goes to say yes again, but then pauses. If anyone would understand how he’s feeling, it’d be Minhyuk. Obviously he’s not sure about Minhyuk’s experience with dysphoria, but he decides to tell them anyway. “It’s just one of those days, you know?” Hyungwon says. “I feel gross and uncomfortable and dysphoria _sucks_.”

Minhyuk pats Hyungwon’s knee and then ruffles his hair. “It really does. It’s the worst. But sadly it’s something we just have to deal with.” They pause, and then cautiously pull Hyungwon in for a hug. 

Hyungwon feels tears well up in his eyes, because he’s only known Minhyuk for a week and yet somehow they make him feel so loved and cared for. 

“I’m here all day to provide love, distractions and food that I’ll steal from Kihyun and pretend I made myself,” they say as they pull away and give Hyungwon a smile. 

“Thank you, Minhyuk. Really.”

“You’re my son now. I have to parent you.”

Hyungwon rolls his eyes, but still laughs anyway. If Minhyuk wants to parent him then he’ll accept it happily. 

Minhyuk looks around and then they lean in close to Hyungwon and say, “So, what’s with you and Kihyun, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

Minhyuk gives Hyungwon a blank look. “Did he or did he not just call you handsome?”

Hyungwon resolutely ignores the blush he feels on his cheeks. “It’s nothing.”

“As Kihyun’s best friend, I can say he isn’t usually like this around people. And that I approve if something happens between you two.”

“We’ve known each other for a week,” Hyungwon points out. 

“Love has no time limit,” Minhyuk singsongs. 

The conversation is thankfully ended when Kihyun comes over with a stack of pancakes. Minhyuk squeals like a child on Christmas morning when they see the pancakes and Kihyun gives a fond eye roll before offering them the first pick. 

While the three eat their pancakes, Minhyuk happily chats away about something that Hyungwon isn’t quite focusing on because he’s too busy pondering Minhyuk’s words. 

And maybe, he realises, he’s not so against the idea of there being something between him and Kihyun. 

* * *

They stop outside of a small town later that evening. Hoseok and Minhyuk decide to go on a date, even though Minhyuk is very reluctant as they know how Hyungwon’s feeling, but he convinces them that he’s fine and that they should go and enjoy their date. 

Hyungwon also finally convinces Hyunwoo to ask Jooheon out for some time together. The two of them have been dancing around their feelings for each other for far too long and Hyungwon is determined to play matchmaker and make this road trip the time that they finally get their shit together. 

So, that leaves Hyungwon, Changkyun and Kihyun alone in the van. Changkyun had suggested they go out together too, but Hyungwon didn’t feel up to it, and despite telling them to go out and enjoy themselves, the two had instead decided to chill with Hyungwon, which leads them to now. 

“Hyungwon, your turn. Tell us something deep,” Changkyun says. He’s lying on the floor of the van surrounded by pillows and Hyungwon wonders how he can possibly be comfortable. He considers asking if Changkyun wants to share the seat with him, but since Hyungwon is currently lying across it and it’s actually rather comfortable, it’d be a pretty tight squeeze. 

Hyungwon doesn’t have anything deep about himself, really, so he settles on, “I’m gay.”

“We’re all gay here,” Kihyun replies, laughing. “That’s not deep.”

“You’re bi, not gay,” Changkyun says. 

“Gay is an umbrella term, dumbass.” 

Changkyun throws a pillow at Kihyun’s head and it hits perfectly. 

Kihyun’s jaw hangs open and he looks so shocked that Hyungwon chokes on his own laughter. 

“That expression was priceless,” he says between his giggles. 

“I do my best.” He chucks the pillow back to Changkyun and then says to him, “What’s your deep secret, then?”

Changkyun looks like he’s having a mental debate about what to say. Then, he quietly says, “I’m afraid of never being good enough.”

The atmosphere changes, then, from light-hearted and fun to something more serious. 

Hyungwon doesn’t know what to say, but he doesn’t have to speak because Kihyun does instead. 

“Who wouldn’t you be good enough for?” he asks, speaking just as quietly as Changkyun had done. 

Changkyun shrugs as best someone can while lying down. “Everyone.” He doesn’t elaborate for a while, but it seems like he’s thinking, so Hyungwon and Kihyun wait in silence, give him a chance to get his thoughts together. “I worry that whatever I do, however much I try, people will still think that I’m not doing enough.”

“You are good enough, Kyun,” Kihyun whispers. “You are.”

“He’s right, you know,” Hyungwon agrees. 

Changkyun doesn’t look at either of them, he just stares up at the ceiling of the van and doesn’t reply. 

The silence is broken by Kihyun quietly admitting, “I’m afraid of pushing everyone away because I’m too much.” He pauses, then elaborates. “I know I can be too overbearing and that it bothers people, and it scares me that it’ll push people away from me. I don’t know,” he trails off. 

“You’re stuck with me now,” Hyungwon says. “You won’t be pushing me away.”

“Or me,” Changkyun agrees. “Roommates for life.”

Kihyun smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. 

Hyungwon swallows. It feels like they’re waiting for him to speak too, even though he knows that isn’t actually the case, that neither of them actually expect anything from him, but they’d been so vulnerable and honest that Hyungwon feels like he owes them that back. 

The issue lies in the fact that he has to come out in order to admit his fears and that’s never easy. Even telling people who would never judge him, who would accept him in a heartbeat is never easy. 

But he wants to tell them. He wants to share this important part of his life with them. 

So, with a deep breath, Hyungwon shakily admits, “I’m afraid to never be seen as the man I am.” It’s not the best way to come out, not direct and it lies in them understanding the implications behind his words, but he just hopes they’ll understand without him having to be direct.

A beat. 

Then, Kihyun says, “You are a man. And if anyone says otherwise they’re wrong.”

“You can send them to us if they say anything,” Changkyun adds. “Beating up transphobes is my favourite way to pass time.”

Hyungwon feels tears well up in his eyes, because even though he knew what the reaction would be, it still makes him so emotional, so warm inside, to feel so cared about and for them to be so positive. “Thank you. Thank you for not judging me.”

“Judging you for what?” Kihyun asks. “Being a dude?”

“I mean, that is kinda judge worthy. Men _suck_ ,” Changkyun jokes. “But you don’t have to thank us. We should be thanking you for trusting us.”

Hyungwon sniffles. “I think I need a hug.”

And when he’s attacked by two warm bodies, he laughs loudly and freely, and he can’t stop smiling. 

“I don’t want to move now,” Changkyun says. He’s kind of crushing Hyungwon, but Hyungwon can’t really complain because it’s nice to have someone so close. 

“We could all just sleep here,” Kihyun suggests. 

Which is exactly what they end up doing and then they all end up complaining about back pain the next morning from their uncomfortable positions, but Hyungwon thinks it was worth it just to sleep close to the two of them. 

* * *

Hyungwon’s dysphoria fades away the next morning. It’s not gone completely, it’s something he just has to deal with a lot of the time, but it goes back to a more manageable level and he’ll take anything he can get. He instead gets to go back to enjoying the trip and having fun with his friends without the negative thoughts at the back of his mind. 

Hoseok offers to drive again because of Hyungwon’s bad back, for which Hyungwon is extremely grateful. He offers to take Hoseok’s next driving day, which means he’ll be driving two days in a row, but he’s sure it won’t be so bad. Everyone brings him enough amusement and enjoyment with their ridiculous conversations that it makes the time pass by quickly. 

As he doesn’t have to drive, Hyungwon gets a chance to properly appreciate the countryside views which he hasn’t really been doing thus far. They’d spent the last few days staying generally around the same area, only travelling between nearby towns to allow themselves a chance to properly explore some new places as well as get some rest because the constant driving gets exhausting, even for the people who aren’t actually driving the van themselves, and because Korea really isn’t big enough for them to have to spend hours upon hours driving to find new places and sights to see. 

Outside the window the green hills and tall trees pass by in a flash. The sun is high in the sky and not a single cloud blocks the view. They’re out in the countryside, so there isn’t all that much to see, but every now and then he’ll spot different animals out in the field. Despite there being mostly fields, Hyungwon still thinks the view is beautiful and wishes he’d taken a moment to appreciate it sooner, but it’s better late than never, he decides. 

Hyungwon is still sleepy from the bad night’s sleep he had due to his, Changkyun’s and Kihyun’s attempt to sleep on the seat together. The warm sunlight streaming through the windows does nothing to help his tiredness, only serving to make him even sleepier. 

He shuts his eyes, lets the warmth wash over him, and tells himself he’s only giving his eyes a rest, not dozing off. 

He jerks awake when he feels something against his cheek. He blinks, trying to get his eyes to focus, and when they do he sees Changkyun’s grinning face in front of his. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

“It’s 3pm,” Jooheon says. 

“Time is a construct,” Changkyun shoots back. “If I want to say good morning to Hyungwon at 3pm then I will.”

Jooheon doesn’t argue with that.

Hyungwon yawns, because somehow he’s still tired. 

Changkyun coos. “You’re adorable.”

Half-awake Hyungwon has no filter, it seems, as he replies, “Not as adorable as you.”

Changkyun splutters and blushes. He hides his face, but he doesn’t do it quickly enough before Hyungwon sees the blush. 

“See,” Hyungwon says, grinning, “adorable.”

“Can you two stop flirting in front of us innocent people?” Minhyuk complains. 

Changkyun whips around to look at them and although Hyungwon can’t see his face, he can imagine exactly what expression is on it right now. “You are not innocent.”

Minhyuk gasps. “How dare you. I am pure. I have never sinned in my life.”

The two continue bickering, but Hyungwon zones it out as he starts to doze off again. He keeps opening his eyes, trying to keep himself awake. 

“Sleep if you’re tired,” Kihyun whispers to him from somewhere to his right. 

“Should stay awake,” Hyungwon mutters. 

“Sleep,” Kihyun insists. 

So, Hyungwon does, because he knows he needs it. 

* * *

At Jooheon’s suggestion, the seven of them decide to have a barbecue in an open field that they found. Buying all the food for their barbecue at a local shop had been quite a headache because everyone was craving different food and so making a unanimous decision was hard. They ended up buying enough food to feed at least double the number of people they have, which wasn’t the plan, but it at least means they can feed themselves for an extra day. 

Hyungwon and Hyunwoo end up manning the barbecue. Kihyun had done most of the cooking so far for everyone (when they hadn’t bought premade food or gone to restaurants) and so the two of them wanted to give him a break, which he had welcomed happily and thanked them both for. 

One of the burgers sizzles, so Hyunwoo flips it over. 

Hyungwon isn’t doing much to help in all honesty, he’s just standing next to Hyunwoo talking to him, but there’s only so much two people can do on one barbecue together. He’ll plate everyone’s food up when it’s cooked, anyway. 

“How are you enjoying the trip so far?” Hyunwoo asks seriously. 

The two of them haven’t really had a chance to talk alone much on the trip, and he’s sure Hyunwoo’s been dying to check up on him for days, because that’s just the type of person that he is. “It’s been really good. I really like everyone,” Hyungwon answers. 

“I knew you would,” Hyunwoo says with a smile. “You seem to get along really well with everyone, especially Changkyun and Kihyun.”

Hyungwon hums. “I told them.”

“You did?”

“Yeah,” Hyungwon says. “They were really nice about it.”

“Well, I’d have hoped so. If not we’d have had to kill them.” Hyunwoo sounds so serious that Hyungwon can’t help but laugh. 

“You couldn’t hurt a fly.”

Hyunwoo shrugs. “To defend you, I would.”

“See, this is why you’re my best friend,” Hyungwon says with a grin. And Hyunwoo really is his best friend. Hyungwon doesn’t know where he’d be without him. He’s done so much for Hyungwon, supported him through everything, and now brought him along on a road trip that he already thinks is one of the best experiences of his life. 

Jooheon comes wandering over to them, a pout on his face. “I’m hungry. Is it almost done?”

“Yeah, nearly,” Hyunwoo answers. He pauses for a moment, and then stabs a fork into one of the cooked sausages, and then holds it out to Jooheon. “Here. You can have the first one.”

Jooheon accepts it with a huge smile on his face, and then he kisses Hyunwoo’s cheek before he leaves them again, happily munching on his sausage. 

Hyungwon raises an eyebrow as he looks at Hyunwoo. “So, what was that about?”

“Nothing,” Hyunwoo says, but the blush on his face gives away that that’s a lie. 

“I know you like him,” Hyungwon says. It’s so obvious that Hyunwoo has a crush on Jooheon. Hyungwon’s also pretty sure that Jooheon shares the same feelings, it’s quite obvious, but the two of them have just been skirting around their feelings for each other for years. Hyungwon can only hope that this road trip is finally the time that they get together. 

Hyunwoo starts plating up some of the burgers now that they’ve cooked. He doesn’t speak as he does it, but Hyungwon knows he’s just trying to get his thoughts together, so he says nothing and waits. 

“I think I want to tell him soon.”

Hyungwon grins and barely holds in a squeal. “Really? You’re really going to do it?”

Hyunwoo nods. “It’s been so long that I’ve been crushing on him that I just need to finally tell him.” He sounds so shy and nervous that it’s adorable and Hyungwon really wants to just squish him. 

“He definitely feels the same, I’m sure of it.” Well, he’s not 100% sure since Jooheon’s never told him that he does or anything, but Hyungwon’s not the only one that’s noticed how obvious it is that the two of them like each other. Hoseok had asked him about it the other day, knowing that Hyungwon is Hyunwoo’s best friend and quite close to Jooheon, too, and had mentioned how obvious it is that the two of them have feelings for each other. 

“You really think so?” 

“I do.”

Hyunwoo smiles, hopeful, happy, and then gets back to plating up their finished food. 

* * *

Hyungwon is very full after eating more burgers than one person should consume at once, but _damn_ , they were good, so it was so worth it. 

“Anyone want another drink?” Changkyun asks as he climbs up off the floor and starts to walk towards the van where all their drinks are kept. 

A few people say yes, but Hyungwon still has half of his lemonade left, so he doesn’t need another drink yet. He’d decided to opt out of alcohol today, preferring to stay sober for the night. He also has to drive tomorrow, and so drinking would just be a terrible idea, anyway. 

Being sober also comes with the hilarious experience of finally getting to see what Changkyun and Kihyun are like when drunk because both of them had decided to drink and are well on their way to getting drunk with the amount they’ve consumed already. 

“Hey,” a voice whispers in his ear. 

Hyungwon turns to his side to see a very flushed Kihyun leaning close to him. “Yes?”

“Can you do me a favour, handsome?”

That damn nickname again. Hyungwon wants to pretend he hates it, but really he loves it and it makes him feel all warm inside, which is definitely not what he wants, because it only leads him closer to developing a crush on Kihyun, and having a crush on someone who you’re going to spend the foreseeable future with just doesn’t sound like a good plan. 

“What favour?” Hyungwon asks. He’s somewhat nervous for what Kihyun will ask for, especially since he’s so tipsy. 

“Can I rest my head on your lap so you can play with my hair?” He sounds whiny, much whinier than Hyungwon’s ever heard from him. 

So, Hyungwon has no choice but to agree. He pats his lap with a, “Sure,” and Kihyun instantly lies down and makes himself at home. Hyungwon’s not sure how comfortable it can really be lying on the grass with his head on Hyungwon’s bony legs, but Kihyun sighs contentedly, so Hyungwon figures he must be at least somewhat comfortable. 

Hyungwon threads his fingers through Kihyun’s hair as he was asked, and everytime he moves them Kihyun lets out little content noises and Hyungwon feels like his heart could burst from all the affection in it. 

Their moment doesn’t last very long before Changkyun comes back over and, in typical Changkyun fashion, pouts and complains. 

“Why does Hyungwon get to play with your hair?” he whines to Kihyun. “You never let me play with it.”

Kihyun mutters something neither of them can make out and then refuses to repeat himself when Changkyun asks him to speak louder. 

This clearly annoys Changkyun. And his solution to his annoyance is to sit down. On Kihyun. 

“I’m sitting here in protest.” He crosses his arms across his chest and pouts even harder than he did before, somehow. 

“You’re heavy,” Kihyun mumbles.

Distracted by Changkyun’s _interesting_ actions, Hyungwon’s hand had stilled in Kihyun’s hair, which he’s very much not happy about, it seems. Kihyun looks up at him with narrowed eyes. “Don’t stop.”

So, Hyungwon obliges and starts to play with Kihyun’s hair again. In return, Kihyun smiles up at him. 

Changkyun, obviously annoyed by the lack of attention he’s receiving, finally gets off of Kihyun’s stomach and instead moves around to Hyungwon’s other side, where he plants his head in what is left of Hyungwon’s lap that isn’t taken up by Kihyun, grabs Hyungwon’s free hand and places it in his hair, all without saying a word. 

Hyungwon, curious about what Changkyun will do, doesn’t move the hand in Changkyun’s hair, even as he continues to play with Kihyun’s hair. 

Unsurprisingly, Changkyun doesn’t speak still, and he doesn’t look at Hyungwon either. Instead, he nudges his head against Hyungwon’s hand. 

Hyungwon waits, and sure enough a few seconds later Changkyun nudges his hand again, all without making a sound. 

Hyungwon grins and finally gives in and runs his fingers through Changkyun’s hair. Changkyun lets out a pleased noise and nuzzles closer to Hyungwon. 

“Cute,” Hyungwon mutters. 

The sound of Minhyuk and Hoseok talking, as well as Hyunwoo’s and Jooheon’s snores (because when are the two of them ever not snoring) are the background noise to the unusual situation Hyungwon’s found himself in. The three of them don’t speak, but Hyungwon continues to pet the hair of both of the men in his lap and eventually the two of them fall asleep on him. 

“You okay over here?” Minhyuk asks quietly as they approach Hyungwon and his sleeping companions. 

“Yeah. They both needed my attention, apparently,” Hyungwon says with a laugh. 

Minhyuk grins. “It seems that way, doesn’t it?”

“Hey, princess, I’m going to bed. You coming?” Hoseok calls, and it’s loud enough that Hyungwon feels Kihyun stir against his leg. 

“Looks like someone else needs some attention, too,” Minhyuk jokes. “Goodnight, Hyungwonnie.”

“Goodnight,” Hyungwon replies. 

Minhyuk heads over to the van where Hoseok is waiting for them, leaving Hyungwon alone with Changkyun and Kihyun once again. 

Kihyun lifts his head up from Hyungwon’s lap, yawns as he stretches his arms out, his nose scrunching up. 

Hyungwon thinks it’s adorable. 

“Did I fall asleep?” Kihyun asks. 

“For a little bit.”

Changkyun lifts his head, too, and Hyungwon finally gets a chance to stretch his legs out. 

“What happened?” Changkyun rubs his eyes and then blinks, opening his eyes up as wide as possible. 

“You were asleep for a bit,” Hyungwon answers. “Should we all get ready for bed? It’s getting late.”

Changkyun nods while Kihyun lies back down on the grass and curls up into as small of a ball as he can. 

Hyungwon stands, knowing the two of them are too tipsy to do anything themselves, and goes to find them some spare blankets. 

He checks everywhere, but he can only find one blanket. It’s big enough for the three of them to share, though, as long as they sleep close together. Hyungwon hopes neither of them will mind. 

When he gets back to Changkyun and Kihyun, the two of them are sleeping again already. Hyungwon can’t help but smile as he looks at the two of them. While he’d been gone Kihyun had changed positions, and now Changkyun had his head on Kihyun’s chest, his mouth hanging open slightly. 

Hyungwon’s pretty sure that Kihyun will wake up with a drool patch on his shirt, but the two look rather comfortable so he decides not to disturb them. Instead, he places the blanket over the two of them and then slips under it himself behind Changkyun. 

The ground isn’t very comfortable, but Hyungwon’s got rather used to sleeping in uncomfortable places at this point, so it’s not too much of a bother anymore. He’s so tired, too, that he feels himself start to fall asleep as soon as he lays his head on the ground. 

As he dozes off, he feels a hand feel around until it finds his hand and then squeezes. And the last thing Hyungwon hears before sleep completely overtakes him is Changkyun’s voice whispering, “Goodnight.”

* * *

Changkyun is in a bit of a mood the next morning and he’s making sure all of them know about it. Quite unsurprisingly, he’d woken up with a hangover and complaints of his whole body aching from sleeping on the floor without a pillow. (Kihyun’s chest didn’t fit his pillow requirements, apparently.)

“Hyungwoooon,” Changkyun whines for what feels like the hundredth time this morning already. “I’m _dying_.”

“You’re not dying,” Hyungwon replies, repeating the same words that he has been all morning. “You’re just hungover.”

“Dying,” Changkyun repeats. “I’m basically on my deathbed.” He dramatically flops back, the back of his hand pressed to his forehead, with a loud sigh. 

“You have the patience of a saint,” Minhyuk whispers in his ear. “I would’ve killed him by now.”

“I think Kihyun might do that,” Hyungwon whispers back. He points to Kihyun who’s sitting next to Changkyun, his face a shade of red. He looks like he wants to say something, but is holding back. 

Minhyuk laughs. “It’s the scorpio in him.”

“He’s a scorpio?”

“We both are.” Minhyuk seems really proud of the fact. 

“What are you two whispering about?” Changkyun says suddenly, eyes narrowed at the two of them. 

Minhyuk taps the side of their nose twice. “It’s a secret.”

“Tell me,” Changkyun whines again. “I wanna know the secret.”

“Okay, so,” Kihyun starts, a loud clap to go along with his words, “I’m starting a petition called ‘Stop Changkyun’s Whining 2020’. Please sign it. _Please._ ”

Changkyun huffs and folds his arms. He turns in his seat so his back is to Kihyun, and glares at the wall opposite. 

“Well done,” Minhyuk says sarcastically, “now you’ve upset him.”

Kihyun doesn’t reply, just lifts his chin, crosses his arms too, and turns his back to Changkyun. 

“Children,” Minhyuk mutters. 

The atmosphere in the van grows tense and Hyungwon doesn’t know where to look or what to say. He wishes he was driving, as was the plan, just to have something else to focus on other than the awkward atmosphere, but Hoseok had ended up doing it instead because Hyungwon had been feeling too tired to drive in the morning. He’s planning to take over after they get lunch, though, but for now he’s stuck in the back with Changkyun, Kihyun, Minhyuk and Jooheon (who’s currently sleeping off his own hangover). 

No one speaks for what feels like years. The silence stretches on, and Hyungwon finds himself fidgeting in his seat just for something to do. 

“Changkyun?” a quiet voice says, and Hyungwon looks up to see that it’s Kihyun who’s spoken. He’s chewing on his lip and playing with his fingers. 

Changkyun doesn’t reply.

A long stretch of time passes before Kihyun finally looks up at Hyungwon and Minhyuk. He looks helpless.

Hyungwon doesn’t know what to do at this point. He knows what Kihyun said was kind of taking it too far, but he also knows Kihyun, and anyone can see how much Kihyun cares for Changkyun, and that he obviously only meant it as a joke. 

Hyungwon looks at Changkyun, tries to gauge his feelings based off his face, figure out why he didn’t reply to Kihyun. Then, he realises Changkyun is asleep. 

Hyungwon chokes out a laugh. “He’s asleep, Ki. He’s not ignoring you.”

Kihyun lets out a sigh of relief. He turns back around to look at Changkyun so he can indeed confirm that Changkyun has fallen asleep. Then, Kihyun pokes Changkyun’s cheek and giggles when Changkyun’s nose scrunches up. 

“Ge’ off,” Changkyun mumbles. He swats randomly, but misses Kihyun. 

“Changkyunnie,” Kihyun whispers. “Changkyun-ah.”

“Wha’?”

“I’m sorry,” Kihyun says. 

Changkyun looks dumbfounded. “What for?” 

“Being mean?”

Changkyun blinks once, twice. “Oh, you mean the joke? I wasn’t upset.”

“You had me so scared and worried,” Kihyun complains. “I hate you.”

“You love me,” Changkyun shoots back, as he always does. 

“You wish,” Kihyun grumbles. 

With Changkyun and Kihyun back to normal, Hyungwon feels like he can breathe again. The tension dissipates and everyone is back to joking and laughing. 

It’s nice, as it always is when the seven of them are together. They stop for lunch in a small town and then Hyungwon takes over driving, and Changkyun offers to sit up front with him. 

For the most part, it’s a decent drive, and Hyungwon gets to admire the views outside while also talking to Changkyun about random things the two of them can come up with. 

The peace doesn’t last, though.

The radio is turned on because Hyungwon likes background noise when he drives, but he turned the volume low enough that only he and Changkyun are able to hear it. For the most part, it’s what you’d expect from a radio show. Music, hosts talking here and there, adverts. 

But then the music cuts off suddenly in the middle of a song and the hosts start talking frantically about something. It’s too quiet for Hyungwon to make out what’s actually being said, though, so he asks Changkyun to turn it up. 

“Okay, calm down, calm down,” one of the hosts mutters. It sounds almost like he’s talking to himself. “For everyone just tuning in, we’ve had a report that there’s an outbreak in Seoul. We don’t have any of the details yet on the actual outbreak, it appears to be some sort of virus that’s spreading quickly and causing sickness. Maybe even death? We’re not sure yet. What we do know is that people are being warned to limit their contact with strangers to try and stop the virus spreading.” The host pauses for a moment and there’s distant murmuring like someone’s giving him updates, and then once it stops he continues. “We’ve been told all the roads in and out of Seoul have been blocked off, all flights have been cancelled and public transport is no longer leaving or entering the city. We’ll keep you updated as we find out more.”

The announcement ends and music starts playing again, but Changkyun turns the volume all the way down as soon as it does. 

The silence in the van is deafening. 

No one says a word and because Hyungwon’s driving he’s unable to look around to take a look at anyone else’s expressions. Instead, he’s left alone to his own thoughts about the newly found information. 

But Hyungwon isn’t really sure how he feels. He’s just confused more than anything. An outbreak? He wonders when it started, how it spreads, whether there’s any chance one of their group could have caught it. That doesn’t seem possible, though. They’ve been out of Seoul for almost two weeks now, surely they’d have noticed an illness. 

Hyungwon’s family don’t live in Seoul, so he doesn’t have to worry about them, and all his friends are with him currently. 

No one speaks, all lost in thought, and Hyungwon simply keeps driving and hopes the atmosphere will improve as time goes on. 

* * *

Hyungwon feels jittery the next day. Even though no one he knows is currently in Seoul, even the thought of the outbreak is playing on his mind. They’ve kept the radio on low, waiting for another update, but there’s been none so far, just the same information being repeated for people who might’ve missed it the first time.

Hyungwon just wants to know more. He wants to know the symptoms so they can look out for them, even with the low chance of any of them having caught the virus with how long they’ve been out of Seoul. He also wants to know what will happen when they decide to return. He’s having fun on the road trip and wishes it could never end, but unfortunately they have jobs and university to get back to eventually. Hyungwon doesn’t have a job of his own - he’s only just recently graduated and hasn’t had a chance to find one yet - but the rest of them do (except Changkyun who’s still studying). So, as much as Hyungwon wishes the road trip could last forever, eventually they’ll have to return (even if most of their group are lucky enough to be their own bosses and be able to take extended periods off work). 

But will they even be able to return? Hyungwon wonders. What if the outbreak only gets worse and the city has to stay under quarantine for a super long time? Will a cure ever be found?

Too many questions plague Hyungwon’s mind. He feels caught up in all the wondering, completely distracted. 

He’s brought out of his thoughts by Changkyun poking his arm. Many times. 

“Do you want to go on a walk with me?” he asks. 

They’ve parked up for a while to give everyone a rest, especially since everyone’s already so down thanks to the news of the outbreak, but despite Hyunwoo having parked the car ten minutes ago, Hyungwon still hasn’t moved. He hasn’t even taken his seatbelt off, yet. 

So Hyungwon hums an agreement, takes his belt off, and the two of them leave the van together. Kihyun and Minhyuk are sitting on a nearby bench, so they let them know they’re going to be gone for a bit, and then set off on their walk. 

Changkyun leads them. Hyungwon has no idea where they are or any idea of what’s even around so he’s more than happy to just follow Changkyun.

For a while, they walk in silence. Hyungwon doesn’t mind it, he finds. Even though it still allows him to get caught up in his thoughts, it’s still a lot nicer to at least be sharing his time with Changkyun. 

“The news seems to have affected you, huh?” is the first thing that comes out of Changkyun’s mouth since they started their walk. 

Hyungwon hums. “I can’t stop thinking about it. Can’t stop worrying about what it might mean.”

“We’ll be fine,” Changkyun reassures. “We’ve been out of Seoul for long enough that none of us should be infected.”

Changkyun’s usually so overly dramatic, always making jokes and messing around, that it’s nice to see his more serious side. He rarely shows it, it seems, preferring to keep up with the light-hearted jokes. 

“I just wonder how long it’ll take before we’re able to return.”

“Damn, you already want to get rid of us?” Changkyun jokes. 

Hyungwon rolls his eyes and smacks Changkyun lightly on the arm. “Of course not. I love spending time with you all, especially you and Kihyun.” Hyungwon pretends not to notice how the tips of Changkyun’s ears go red when he says that. “But we all have lives to get back to eventually. Well, except me, the unemployed loser.”

“You know Minhyuk would hire you without a second thought if you asked them,” Changkyun says, referring to the cafe that Minhyuk owns.

Hyungwon knows that they hired Jooheon because he needed a job, and that they’d do the same for him, but he feels bad asking. He doesn’t feel qualified to work at such a nice cafe, but he’s a quick learner and knows he would adapt easily, and working with Jooheon and Minhyuk would be nice. 

“I’ll think about asking,” he replies eventually. 

“What is it you want to do for a job?” Changkyun asks. 

“Be a lawyer, probably. I mean, I do have a degree in law, after all.”

“You do?” Changkyun sounds so amazed and Hyungwon wonders how he never told him before. “Law seems so cool and interesting. I’m just studying chemistry.”

“Chemistry is interesting, too. Do you want to be a scientist or something?”

“I’m not sure,” Changkyun answers. He makes a noise, like he’s going to say something, but then goes quiet. 

Hyungwon waits. 

Eventually, Changkyun admits in a small voice, “I’ve only told Kihyun this before, but I think I want to do music.”

For a moment Hyungwon is shocked, but then he remembers how much Changkyun seems to like music, and the shock wears off. It makes sense, really. “What would you want to do?”

“Rap, I think.”

Hyungwon hasn’t heard Changkyun rap, only ever heard him dramatically singing (which he’s sure Changkyun does on purpose to make himself sound ridiculous, and his actual voice is probably a lot nicer) but he does know that Changkyun’s deep voice is nice to listen to when he speaks, and so he’s sure it’s just as nice to listen to when he raps. “Have you ever spoken to Hoseok about doing something? I know he’s helped Jooheon with raps before.”

“He has so much to do with work already I feel bad bothering him.”

“Mm, producing does seem like a lot of work,” Hyungwon agrees. “But he’s your friend, and I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to help you.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Changkyun starts, “if you ask Minhyuk about a job, I’ll ask Hoseok about making a song.”

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

Changkyun turns to him and smiles and Hyungwon feels his heart skip a beat. Why does he have to have such a beautiful smile?

It’s then that Hyungwon realises they’ve circled back to where they began their walk and the van is in view once again. 

Hyungwon stops suddenly, and Changkyun turns back to look at him with a frown.

“I just-,” Hyungwon pauses, his words failing him. He breathes in, out, and then, “Thank you. You made me feel a lot better.”

“That’s what I’m always here for.” Changkyun smiles again, holds out his hand and says, “Let’s go back to the van.”

Hyungwon takes Changkyun’s outstretched hand and ignores the burn he feels on his cheeks as they return to the others. 

* * *

Hyungwon is shaken awake suddenly. He blinks, confused, wondering what’s going on. 

“There are updates about the outbreak,” comes Hoseok’s voice. 

“Oh, thanks,” Hyungwon replies, his voice coming out deeper than usual because he’s only just woken up. 

“We have some updates about the symptoms,” the radio host says. “So far people have reported feeling sick, shaking, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, aches and pains, especially in the neck. One man even reported feeling bloodthirsty, but this is not a confirmed symptom. So far there have been no deaths from the outbreak, but as people’s conditions slowly worsen, it looks like it’s a possibility.” 

The solemn tone of the host reflects the mood in the car following the update. No one speaks for a while, all just taking in the latest update. 

“At least we know what to look out for,” Minhyuk says. 

A general hum of agreement follows. It’s highly unlikely any of them have the illness, almost impossible even, but it’s best for them to be cautious. 

With the update finished, Hyungwon shuts his eyes once again and drifts back off into a deep sleep. 

* * *

They stop by a small town on the edge of a huge forest. Hyungwon doesn’t really feel like doing much of anything, not with the lingering worries about the outbreak in Seoul still on his mind, but Kihyun seems really excited about them having stopped near a forest and says he really wants to find some deer, and Hyungwon finds that he can’t say no to him. 

So, Hyungwon, Kihyun and Changkyun decide to take a small forest adventure together. 

It doesn’t take long for them to lose their way amongst the trees. 

“It’s this way,” Kihyun says, pointing off to the right. 

“No, it’s this way,” Changkyun insists, pointing in the opposite direction. 

Hyungwon has no idea which way it is. He has no sense of direction and as soon as they entered the forest he feels like he lost his way. 

“I swear it’s—“ Changkyun starts to say, but is promptly hushed by Kihyun. 

Hyungwon turns to look at Kihyun, wondering why he cut Changkyun off. He realises that Kihyun’s pointing off at something in the distance, so Hyungwon leans around to get a better view. 

Off in the distance, Hyungwon sees an enormous stag with impressive antlers staring back at the three of them. 

“Stay quiet, don’t move,” Kihyun whispers. He ever so slowly reaches into his bag and just as slowly pulls out his camera. 

Hyungwon holds his breath, trying not to make a sound. 

Kihyun crouches down closer to the ground and brings the camera up to his face to take a proper photo. 

Hyungwon and Changkyun wait with baited breath. Hyungwon looks between Kihyun and the deer, both watching to see if Kihyun takes the photo and to make sure the stag stays still. 

After what could’ve been the most tension filled two minutes of Hyungwon’s life thus far, Kihyun moves the camera away, stands up and lets out a huge sigh of relief. “I got the photos.”

When he says it the stag runs off as if on cue. 

“That was so tense,” Changkyun comments. “Who knew a photo of a stag could cause so much tension?”

Kihyun rolls his eyes. Then, he says, “Come on, we need to go this way.”

“It’s the other way,” Changkyun argues, but he gives in and starts to walk the way Kihyun had suggested, and Hyungwon follows the two of them. 

The walk for longer, the monstrous trees looming over them. The further they walk, the thicker the foliage seems to get, and the darker the light gets, blocked out by the condensed leaves overhead. 

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Changkyun asks. 

“Yes,” Kihyun replies, but he doesn’t sound sure in the slightest. 

So, they press on. 

* * *

“I really don’t think this is the right way,” Changkyun says again. 

Kihyun groans, stops walking, and drops to the floor, his head in his hands. “I give up.”

Changkyun follows suit and sits down on the ground next to Kihyun. He puts a hand on Kihyun’s knee and says in his most sympathetic voice, “It’s okay, Kihyun. At least we’ll all die out here together.”

Kihyun lifts his head from his hands to give Changkyun an impressive glare. “I hate you.”

Bored of standing up, Hyungwon decides to sit down and join the two of them too. It’s not comfortable in the slightest, all sorts of sharp and hard objects stick into him, and the ground is also slightly damp and Hyungwon knows he’s going to end up with a horrible wet patch on his ass. But he’s committed to sitting down now, so he might as well accept it. 

“Since we’re stuck out here in the forest for all eternity until we eventually wither away and die,” Changkyun says seriously, “we might as well play a game or something.”

“What sort of game do you suggest?” Hyungwon asks, pointedly ignoring the dramatic start to Changkyun’s sentence. 

“Uh,” Changkyun says intelligently. “I didn’t really think about that, to be honest. I was hoping one of you two would come up with one.”

Kihyun sighs loudly and gives Changkyun a withering look. “You really know how to test me.”

Changkyun nods. “It’s because I love you.”

It seems like neither of them expected those words to come out of Changkyun’s mouth, as Changkyun’s eyes go wide and he slaps a hand over his mouth while Kihyun’s whole face turns into a tomato. 

Hyungwon wonders when the two of them will realise how obviously in love with each other they are and start dating. He might have a crush on the both of them, but he isn’t blind to their crushes on each other. He thinks they’d be cute together and it’s clear to him they’ve liked each other for a long time, even if he hasn’t known the two of them for that long, and he’ll suck it up and get over his own crushes to see the two of them happy together. It’d make him happy to see them happy, anyway. 

“How about we play Never Have I Ever?” Hyungwon suggests, changing the subject away from Changkyun’s slip up. 

“Sounds good,” Kihyun replies. He starts to dig around in his bag for something. 

While Kihyun is distracted, Changkyun turns to Hyungwon and mouths a “thank you”. 

Hyungwon winks in reply. 

Kihyun then pulls out three small chocolate bars. He holds two of them out and Hyungwon and Kihyun take one each.

“This is going to be a weird game of Never Have I Ever without, you know, any sort of drinks to take shots with,” Changkyun says around a mouthful of chocolate. 

“There’s that version where you hold up five fingers and put one down when you have done it. First to have no more fingers up loses,” Kihyun says. 

“Oh, cool.” Changkyun finishes off his bar of chocolate and then puts his hand up with all five fingers up. 

Hyungwon and Kihyun do the same. 

“I’ll go first,” Kihyun says. “Never have I ever cheated on a test.”

“This is a personal attack,” Changkyun mutters, putting one finger down. 

Hyungwon doesn’t put any down, as he hasn’t cheated before, which leaves Changkyun at an instant disadvantage. 

“Never have I ever been dropkicked by Minhyuk,” Changkyun says with a smirk. 

Kihyun puts a finger down with an eyeroll. 

“That really happened?” Hyungwon asks. 

“Unfortunately,” Kihyun replies. 

Hyungwon wonders what could’ve caused Minhyuk to want to dropkick Kihyun, but he doesn’t have time to get the full story because they need to continue the game. “Never have I ever been a cis man.”

Changkyun and Kihyun both glare at Hyungwon as they put fingers down. 

Hyungwon grins. “I mean, I have to win.”

“This is cheating,” Changkyun whines. 

Hyungwon simply shrugs. 

Kihyun takes a while to think, humming lowly as he does, and then he says, “Never have I ever dated a man.”

Changkyun puts down a finger. “Bisexual privilege,” he complains. 

Kihyun rolls his eyes. “Hyungwon didn’t put a finger down and he’s gay,” he points out. 

Hyungwon was hoping neither of them would notice that he didn’t put a finger down, but unfortunately it seems like that wasn’t the case. 

“Wait, you’ve never dated anyone?” Changkyun asks. He sounds so shocked and Hyungwon doesn’t know why. 

“No?” he replies, confused. 

“But you’re so, like, _you_.”

“What does _that_ mean?” Hyungwon asks. He really is confused now. 

“It means,” Kihyun replies, since Changkyun doesn’t seem like he’s going to elaborate, “he thinks you’re too handsome and kind to have not dated anyone.”

Hyungwon turns to look at Changkyun, who shrugs, then nods. Hyungwon feels a blush come to his face immediately. “You— What— Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Hyungwon doesn’t know how to feel about that, what it might mean, but he doesn’t get to think about it much before Changkyun continues the game.

He has a sneaky look on his face and Hyungwon knows he’s not going to like what’s about to come out of Changkyun’s mouth. 

“Never have I ever thought about kissing someone in this forest,” Changkyun says with a shit eating grin, directed towards Kihyun. 

Kihyun puts another finger down with his eyes narrowed at Changkyun. “You need to put yours down too, idiot.”

Changkyun’s mouth makes a little ‘O’ shape and then he puts a finger down, too. 

While the two of them talk about something Hyungwon is obviously left out of, he puts one of his own fingers down and prays neither of them will point it out if they do notice it. 

Kihyun clocks him immediately. “Which of us is it?” he asks cheekily. 

“What if it’s myself?” Hyungwon shoots back, pretending his face isn’t bright tomato red. 

“Bet it’s me,” Changkyun says. 

“It’s me for sure,” Kihyun asserts. 

As the two of them argue over which of them it is that Hyungwon has thought about kissing (which is obviously the both of them, but he doesn’t need to say that out loud), Hyungwon wonders if they’ll ever get out of this forest. He’s starting to panic, feeling like he’s revealed too much, even if Kihyun and Changkyun don’t seem to be anywhere near as embarrassed as he is. 

The universe must hear Hyungwon’s mental complaints, as Hoseok appears through the trees, walking towards the three of them. 

Changkyun and Kihyun must not notice him as they continue their ridiculous argument (which now includes shoving each other and laughing). 

“Hey, Hoseok,” Hyungwon greets as soon as Hoseok’s close enough to hear him. 

“Hey. Is there any reason the three of you are sat two minutes from the exit of the forest?” Hoseok asks. “We thought it was weird you’d all disappeared so I came to look for you, but I didn’t expect it to be so easy.”

“We thought we got lost,” Hyungwon replies. “Apparently not.” He stands up from the ground finally and realises that (unsurprisingly) he now has soaking wet trousers because of the damp ground. That’s the least of his worries at this point, though, because he feels like he’s just exposed himself to Changkyun and Kihyun and it makes him uncomfortable. Not that he doesn’t trust them, of course, but there’s something about being so vulnerable and honest that has just left him feeling uneasy. 

He tries to put it out of his mind as they return to the van to continue further on their trip, instead choosing to focus on having fun and making jokes. 

* * *

Hyungwon is still feeling weird the next day, especially being around Changkyun and Kihyun. He wouldn’t say he’s avoiding them but, well, he’s kind of avoiding them. It’s just for today, though, he promises himself, as the guilt of turning down Changkyun’s invite to the cinema gnaws away at him. 

But really, he does want to spend some time with Hyunwoo again finally. He feels like he’s not been spending as much time with his best friend as he’d hoped for, so he asks if Hyunwoo wants to have a catch up down in the park, since Hyungwon saw a nice spot to sit by the pond when they walked through there earlier in the day, and Hyunwoo agrees happily. 

So, the two of them make their way down to the pond in the park with a small picnic which Hyunwoo had put together using food from a small shop nearby. They set up their picnic blanket, lay out all of their food (which is far more food than two people need) and start to dig in. 

Mid-bite of his sandwich, Hyungwon decides to ask, “How are things going with Jooheon?”

He chews as he waits for Hyunwoo’s answer, only to end up nearly choking on his sandwich when Hyunwoo says, “We’re dating now.”

After coughing quite a bit, and then finally swallowing his bite of sandwich, Hyungwon says, “You are? Really?”

Hyunwoo nods shyly. “Yeah, we are. We were going to tell everyone soon, but I wanted to let you know first. You are my best friend after all.”

Hyungwon coos. “I’m so happy for you. The two of you are so sweet together.”

“Thanks, Won.” Hyunwoo takes a bite of his own sandwich (without choking like Hyungwon did). “How are things going with you, Changkyun and Kihyun?”

Hyungwon doesn’t know how Hyunwoo figured out his crushes so easily (not that it _really_ comes as a surprise, because Hyunwoo’s always been able to read him well) and so he decides to play innocent. “What are you talking about?”

“I know you,” Hyunwoo says. “I can tell when you like someone.”

Hyungwon sighs, defeated, and gives in. “Okay, fine. Maybe I like them. But don’t they like each other?”

“Yeah, they do,” Hyunwoo answers. “They’ve liked each other for years.”

It’s like a stab to Hyungwon’s heart hearing those words, but he pretends not to be affected. He already knew, anyway. It was obvious that the two of them share feelings for each other. It doesn’t make having it confirmed any easier, though. 

“ _But_ ,” Hyunwoo continues, putting heavy emphasis on the word, “that doesn’t mean that they don’t like you as well.”

Hyungwon doesn’t want to give himself that hope. He doesn’t want to even let himself entertain that thought, because chances are all that it’ll end with is him getting hurt. “I wouldn’t be that lucky, you know that.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Hyunwoo says. “You’re a really good guy, Won, and they both can see that. Also, Hoseok mentioned something about them arguing about something to do with you and kissing when he found the three of you yesterday, and although I have no idea what that was about, I do know the two of them well enough to know that’s strange behaviour, especially from Kihyun, so who’s to say they don’t feel the same way about you as you do about them?”

Hyungwon doesn’t want to shut Hyunwoo down, but he really isn’t in the mood for this conversation right now, especially not with his embarrassment from yesterday still playing on his mind. “I don’t know. I just don’t think it’s possible. Can we talk about something else, if that’s okay?”

Hyunwoo nods and changes the subject to explaining some strange looking statue he’d seen in the town they visited the previous day which looked completely out of place. 

Hyungwon does his best to listen and stay focused on the story, but his mind is elsewhere after the talk about feelings. He doesn’t want to think about it, but his mind keeps wandering back and getting stuck on it. 

He just hopes he’ll be able to forget about it all soon and stop clinging onto that tiny bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, he isn’t alone in his feelings.


	2. Chapter 2

Things go back to normal between Hyungwon, Kihyun and Changkyun over the next few days. They travel further, see new sights and explore new places. 

The plan for today is meant to be to visit a nearby lake that Hoseok had heard about online and probably swim in it (even if swimming in a lake is a bad idea and probably highly unsanitary), but Hyungwon just doesn’t feel up for it. 

So, he tells everyone to go ahead and enjoy their day without him. 

But Kihyun is stubborn. Too stubborn, even. So he insists on staying behind with Hyungwon to keep him company. 

“You could’ve gone with them,” Hyungwon says. He’s lying down on the long seat across the back of the van, his feet in Kihyun’s lap since he insisted on sitting on the same seat as Hyungwon, even though there were many other seats to choose from. 

Kihyun pokes Hyungwon’s calf. “I wanted to stay with you.”

“The lake is more interesting than me.”

Kihyun pokes his leg again, harder this time. “No negative talk today, sir.”

Hyungwon lifts his head just enough that he can stare blankly at Kihyun, who just grins back innocently. “It wasn’t even negative. It’s just the truth.”

“What’s so interesting about a lake anyway? I can see water anywhere. Spending time with you is better.” 

Hyungwon looks away and puts his head back down, pretending to be sleepy, so he can hide his blush. He wonders if Kihyun knows what he does to Hyungwon with his words, or if he’s completely oblivious to it. Whenever Kihyun does say such kind things to Hyungwon, though, it makes Hyungwon wonder if maybe his feelings aren’t as one-sided as he believes. But then again, everyone knows Kihyun and Changkyun have feelings for each other, so maybe Kihyun is just extra nice to Hyungwon. Not that he isn’t nice to the others, of course, but from what Hyungwon’s witnessed he seems to give Hyungwon far more compliments than anyone else, even Changkyun. 

Hyungwon doesn’t realise he’s dozing off until there’s another poke to his leg and Kihyun whispers, “Hyungwooooon.”

Hyungwon yawns widely and then blinks his eyes to try and get them to focus again. “Yes?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to talk some more before you go sleeping on me.”

Hyungwon rolls his eyes, but he still smiles. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Hmm.” Kihyun starts tapping his fingers on Hyungwon’s leg as he thinks, and Hyungwon wonders if he’s even aware he’s doing it. “I have nothing,” he says eventually. 

Hyungwon yawns again, feeling exhausted. He doesn’t even know why he’s so tired. He gets enough sleep every night and sleeps rather well considering they spend a lot of their nights sleeping in the van or camping outside of it, but somehow he still always feels like he needs more sleep. “I’m tired,” he says as he lets his eyes slip closed once again. 

Hyungwon then feels his legs being lifted, and then a weight settling on the seat behind him. Kihyun puts an arm over his waist slowly, and then asks, “Is this okay?”

Hyungwon hums an agreement, too tired to form actual words. 

He doesn’t properly fall asleep, instead just on the verge of sleep, but he’s comfortable enough that it doesn’t bother him. It feels nice to have Kihyun so close to him and he wants to treasure the moment as much as he can. And even if he’s not completely awake, he’s also not completely asleep, and that’s enough for him. 

Kihyun’s hand finds his and he carefully interlocks their fingers. He rubs his his thumb across the back of Hyungwon’s hand comfortingly and Hyungwon can’t help the smile that comes to his face.

He can feel Kihyun’s breath lightly tickle the back of his neck and he feels himself shiver. 

A quiet laugh sounds from Kihyun at that. 

Hyungwon squeezes Kihyun’s hand, a silent thanks for just being there with him, and he hopes that Kihyun will be able to feel his appreciation even if he doesn’t voice it. 

Their sweet moment together is ruined rather quickly when the van door swings open, making a loud banging sound, and Changkyun comes running in, hair all over the place, eyes wild. “Kihyun, Hyungwon, help.”

Hyungwon doesn’t move, and neither does Kihyun, but he does frown and ask, “What with?”

“I think I have the virus,” Changkyun answers. 

It takes a moment for Hyungwon’s brain to process what that means. “Wait, _the_ virus?”

Changkyun nods. “It’s turning me into a vampire.”

Hyungwon blinks once. Twice. 

Then, “What.”

It’s not even a question, just a statement. Why would Changkyun be claiming he’s a vampire? What does being a vampire even have to do with the outbreak, anyway? Not that Hyungwon should really question Changkyun’s logic. He does come up with the most outrageous things, it seems. 

“Changkyun,” Kihyun says carefully, and as he speaks Hyungwon can feel little puffs of air against his ear, “can you explain why you think you’ve got the virus? And why you’re a vampire? I don’t think I’m following.”

Changkyun nods and takes a seat opposite the two of them. He doesn’t say anything about their current position nor have any sort of reaction to it, which Hyungwon would’ve expected knowing that Changkyun has feelings for Kihyun, but maybe he’s just not the jealous type. “You remember what they mentioned on the radio the other day? About being bloodthirsty as a symptom?”

“Not really, but go on.” Kihyun answers. 

“Well, I feel like that. And I have the other symptoms. I feel terrible,” Changkyun whines. 

“Okay, so you think you not only have the virus, but it turns you into a vampire?” Kihyun asks for confirmation. 

“Yes.”

Hyungwon can’t tell if Changkyun’s being serious or not - it’s always hard to tell with Changkyun - but if he really believes he has the virus (Hyungwon can ignore the vampire part for now because that’s a whole other conversation) then he probably needs to get to a hospital as soon as possible. Hyungwon voices this, but Changkyun is quick to shut him down. 

“I don’t want to go there,” he says, sounding solemn. “I’ll be fine without a hospital.”

Hyungwon doesn’t know if there’s some history there with Changkyun and hospitals, since it seems rather strange that he’d turn down Hyungwon’s suggestion so quickly, but it’s none of his business so he doesn’t ask. “Okay, no hospitals.”

“You’ll take care of me, right?” Changkyun sounds so hopeful, his eyes shining, that there’s no possibility of Hyungwon even considering denying him. 

“Of course. I’m sure Kihyun will, too.”

Kihyun smacks into Hyungwon’s chest with their hands that are still joined. “I never said that.”

“But you will,” Hyungwon says knowingly. 

“Yeah, I will.”

“So,” Changkyun says, standing up, “is it my turn to join in the cuddling?”

Hyungwon rolls his eyes but says yes, and once again ends up being crushed by Changkyun when he decides to just drop himself on top of the both of them. 

* * *

Kihyun is most definitely avoiding Hyungwon. Whenever Hyungwon tries to talk to him, even if they’re all in one group, he finds some excuse to not join in with the conversation and so avoid Hyungwon. It’s incredibly awkward and obvious when they’re in the van that it’s happening, and Hyungwon doesn’t think he’s the only one that’s noticed. 

He spots Minhyuk sitting alone on a bench a short distance from where they’ve parked the van eating an ice cream, so Hyungwon decides to approach them and see if they can provide any insight about what could possibly be going on with Kihyun today. 

“Hey, Hyungwonnie,” Minhyuk greets when they spot Hyungwon approaching. 

Hyungwon gives a wave and then he takes a seat next to Minhyuk on the bench. 

Minhyuk holds their ice cream out, offering some to Hyungwon. 

“I don’t want any, but thank you,” Hyungwon says. 

“Your loss,” Minhyuk jokes and then goes back to eating their ice cream. 

The two sit in silence for a while. Hyungwon doesn’t really know how to bring up the topic. How do you just go and ask someone why their best friend might be avoiding you?

Luckily, Minhyuk is a very observant person and so they figure out exactly why Hyungwon has approached them without Hyungwon having to say a word. “So, you want to ask about Kihyun, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Hyungwon says shyly. He’d especially come to Minhyuk just to see if they could help him, but now that it’s actually been brought up he feels worried all of a sudden. “I just don’t really know what to do. He’s obviously avoiding me and I thought we were fine.” He sighs. “I don’t know what I did wrong.”

“You did nothing wrong,” Minhyuk reassures. “He just gets all weird when he acts too confident sometimes, but he’ll be back to normal soon. He’s just worried that he made you uncomfortable.”

Hyungwon opens his mouth to speak, but Minhyuk cuts him off before he can. 

“I know you weren’t uncomfortable and he’ll realise it soon too.” Minhyuk munches on their ice cream cone. “He did this same thing with Changkyun a while ago. Like, years ago.”

“Really?”

Minhyuk nods. “We were all friends in school, but after Kihyun graduated he travelled for a while, and then got a job over in the US for some time. Obviously Kihyun and I stayed friends and kept in contact, but Changkyun was really hurt by Kihyun leaving, so they didn’t talk for a while,” Minhyuk explains. Hyungwon’s heard part of the story before from Changkyun, but this is new information to him. “Kihyun came back just before Changkyun started university and both of them needed a roommate so they ended up moving in together, and things have been different with those two ever since then.” Minhyuk rolls their eyes, but they look fond. “I never found out what happened with them, neither of them ever told me, but whatever it was had them avoiding each other for weeks. While living together. It was awful for everyone involved, but they sorted it out.” Minhyuk pauses. “The point is, Kihyun had worried he’d made Changkyun uncomfortable and that’s why he’d been avoiding him, and I’m sure he’s now doing the same to you, as if cuddling someone is even a bad thing.”

“So, should I just keep trying to talk to him?” Hyungwon asks. He’s not sure what the best thing to do is. 

“Yeah, he’ll come around quickly.”

“Thanks, Min,” Hyungwon says, patting them on the knee. “You’re a good friend.”

“Anything for my son,” Minhyuk says with a grin. 

Hyungwon rolls his eyes, but out of anyone who can be his adoptive parent, Minhyuk sure is the best person for the job. 

* * *

Hyungwon ends up spending the morning with Minhyuk. They explore the small town they’re in and discover a market where all sorts of items are being sold. Minhyuk ends up buying some protein powder from one of the stalls and tells Hyungwon they’re going to give it to Hoseok as a gift. 

Hyungwon finds two small matching rings and ends up buying them, one for Kihyun and one for Changkyun. He doesn’t know if the two of them will even like the rings, but he wants to get them both a gift anyway. 

After having a nice morning with Minhyuk, Hyungwon returns to the van to get his coat as it’s colder than he realised it would be, with plans to explore the town a bit more. 

When he arrives back at the van, though, he finds Changkyun sleeping on one of the seats, bundled up in blankets. He looks pale, and even as he sleeps he’s sniffling. Hyungwon can’t just leave him here alone. 

So, he decides to stay in the van and wait for Changkyun to wake up. 

It doesn’t take too long for him to do so. He shuffles around, then stretches, before yawning, all with his eyes closed. When he finally opens them, he looks at Hyungwon and frowns. “Why are you here?”

Hyungwon gasps, mocking offence. “You don’t want to wake up to my beautiful face?”

Changkyun rolls his eyes. “You sound like Kihyun.”

“Maybe I am Kihyun,” Hyungwon says, wiggling his eyebrows ridiculously. “How are you feeling?”

“Terrible,” Changkyun whines. “I’m so sick and no one’s been taking care of me. I could’ve died in the time you all abandoned me in.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re dramatic?”

“Oh, always,” Changkyun says with a huge grin. “I take pride in being dramatic.”

“I can tell.”

Changkyun finally sits up in the seat, the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders, and whines slightly at the movement. 

“Are you okay?” Hyungwon asks, worried. 

“Everything hurts,” Changkyun complains. He sounds so pitiful and sad that Hyungwon almost feels his heart break. 

Hyungwon doesn’t really know how to take care of others when they’re sick, but he does know that hugs always make anyone feel better. So, he moves from the seat he’s on to the one Changkyun’s on and sits down right next to him. 

Changkyun watches him curiously, head tilted. 

Hyungwon puts his arm around Changkyun’s shoulders and says, “Is this okay?”

Changkyun nods, and then rests his head on Hyungwon’s shoulder. He shuffles even closer, so Hyungwon holds him tighter. Changkyun sighs contentedly. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Coming back and staying here with me even though there’s loads of fun things to do outside,” Changkyun says quietly. 

Hyungwon squeezes Changkyun’s arm. “You’re sick, of course I’ll stay. Someone needs to take care of you, right?”

Changkyun laughs, but it sends him into a coughing fit. He leans forward, coughing into his hand.

Hyungwon pats his pack awkwardly, hoping it’ll help. 

When Changkyun stops coughing, he sits back and practically falls against Hyungwon, hiding his face in Hyungwon’s chest. 

Hyungwon wraps his arms around Changkyun and pulls him close. “You okay?”

“No,” Changkyun whispers. His voice sounds scratchy, his throat raw. “Just hold me, please.”

And so Hyungwon does. 

* * *

As Minhyuk had predicted, Kihyun goes back to normal and stops avoiding Hyungwon rather quickly. By that evening he’s talking to Hyungwon again as he did before and making jokes with him and Hyungwon takes that as a win. 

He’d returned to the van a little after Hyungwon had got back to find Changkyun sleeping on Hyungwon. And with Changkyun asleep, there had been no excuse for Kihyun not to talk to Hyungwon, and so they’d chatted (quietly, of course, as to not wake up Changkyun) and it had slowly returned back to normal. 

The others have gone out to a restaurant for dinner, but with how sick Changkyun is Hyungwon and Kihyun opted to stay behind with him. Hoseok had promised to bring the three of them back some food, though.

They’re sitting outside, not wanting to stay cooped up in the van much longer. Changkyun’s currently resting on Kihyun as Hyungwon started getting a dead arm from staying in the same position for so long. 

Hyungwon smiles as he looks at the two of them. They seem so comfortable together and Hyungwon can see the adoration Kihyun has for Changkyun on his face as he looks at him. It makes him feel happy to see how much Kihyun does care for Changkyun and he only hopes Changkyun can feel it as much as everyone else can see it. 

The presents he bought earlier suddenly pop into his mind. “Oh, guys, I have something for you.” He fumbles around in his bag for a while, trying to figure out where he put them. He finds the rings buried at the bottom of his bag and pulls them out with an “Aha!”

Kihyun squints at the small objects. “What’s that?”

“Rings,” Hyungwon answers. He moves over to sit closer to the two of them and hands them over. “It’s kinda weird probably,” he says, blushing, “but you both mean a lot to me and I’m glad we met on this trip so I wanted to give you something to thank you.” He looks away, feeling too embarrassed to look at both of them. 

He’s suddenly attacked with two warm bodies, both wrapping their arms around him. 

Hyungwon topples backwards and ends up lying on the grass with Changkyun and Kihyun on top of him. “Was the attack necessary?”

“It was an attack of love,” Kihyun says. 

Changkyun nods seriously beside him. 

Hyungwon rolls his eyes and giggles. “Ridiculous. Both of you.”

“You love it,” Changkyun retorts. 

“You’re right. I do.”

* * *

Hoseok, Minhyuk, Hyunwoo and Jooheon all return rather late which means Hyungwon and Kihyun were exposed to Changkyun’s constant whining about how much he wants food and how he’ll die if he doesn’t eat soon. 

They bring back pizza and garlic bread which Hyungwon is more than excited for. He might’ve had pizza only last week, but he feels like he’s been deprived of it for too long. It’s even one of those proper greasy pizzas that’ll probably only make you feel gross after eating it, but is still so worth it anyway. 

He digs into the pizza straight away, savouring every bite of the slice. “This is so good,” he says. 

“It’s amazing,” Kihyun agrees. 

Between the three of them it doesn’t take much time to devour the whole pizza, leaving only the garlic bread. 

Hyungwon manages to eat a slice and starts on his second before he realises Changkyun isn’t eating any of the garlic bread, but he is staring longingly at it. 

Hyungwon picks up the box and holds it out closer to Changkyun. “Have a slice.”

“I can’t.”

Hyungwon frowns. “Why not?”

Changkyun sighs. “Vampires can’t eat garlic. You should know this.”

“Vampires, right.” Hyungwon still doesn’t completely understand why Changkyun’s convinced himself he’s a vampire. He thought he would’ve let it go by now, but, needless to say, he hasn’t. “I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine if you eat some.”

“I could _die_ ,” Changkyun insists. It seems to be his favourite phrase to say. 

Kihyun picks up a slice of garlic bread and shoves it at Changkyun’s mouth. “Eat some.”

Changkyun keeps his mouth shut tight and shakes his head. 

Kihyun keeps insisting, though. He keeps poking Changkyun’s mouth with the slice of garlic bread, all while Changkyun glares at him. 

“Just try it, Kyun,” Hyungwon says, laughing slightly at Changkyun’s annoyed expression, “you’ll be fine.”

Changkyun groans loudly and then finally gives in and takes a huge bite out of the garlic bread. 

There’s a tense moment of silent as Changkyun chews on the bread. He swallows, but nothing happens, and Hyungwon finally can breathe again. 

Logically, he knew nothing would happen to Changkyun, but there was still that moment of fear that Changkyun was right about being a vampire and the garlic bread would do something bad to him. 

But, of course, vampires don’t exist. Hyungwon knows that, even if Changkyun is insistent that he is one. 

“I guess garlic doesn’t affect vampires. Twilight lied to me,” Changkyun says. 

“Does Twilight even mention garlic?” Kihyun asks. 

Changkyun shrugs. “No idea, but I’m going to blame it anyway.”

Hyungwon ends up bursting into laughter at that. It’s not even that funny, but something about Changkyun using Twilight as his first reference for vampires is hilarious to Hyungwon. 

So, for the rest of the night, Changkyun and Kihyun make jokes about Twilight, just to see Hyungwon laugh.

* * *

It’s a warm, sunny day, and so Jooheon has the idea of them stopping at the beach to have a day by the sea. Hyungwon isn’t the biggest fan of the beach personally, but everyone seems so excited for it and he’s sure he’ll have a good time regardless. Although he’s sure he’s going to end up with sand everywhere for _weeks_ to come and he’s definitely not looking forward to that. 

Hyunwoo finds a parking spot and parks the van and all of them tumble out into the bright sun. 

As Changkyun exits the vehicle, he hisses, squinting up at the sky. “It burns,” he complains. 

“...Did you just hiss at the sun?” Jooheon asks, bewildered. 

Changkyun retreats backwards into the shade provided by the van. “Vampires can’t go out in the sun,” he explains. 

Hyungwon decides not to mention that Changkyun’s had no problems going in the sun up until this point in time and he’s been claiming to be a vampire for a few days now. 

“No, idiot,” Kihyun says, “you’re burning because you’re not wearing sun cream, not because you’re a vampire.” Kihyun pulls a bottle of sun cream out of his bag and starts slathering it all over Changkyun. 

Changkyun protests and complains, but he doesn’t actually try to stop Kihyun. He just allows himself to be manhandled and covered in sun cream. 

When Kihyun’s done, he turns to the rest of the group and says, “Right, who’s next?”

Minhyuk takes the bottle of sun cream from Kihyun and begins to cover themselves with it claiming, “I’m a grown up I don’t need you putting on my sun cream like I’m a kid.”

(They ask Hoseok to quickly do their back for them when Kihyun’s off looking for a toilet and it makes Hyungwon laugh.)

After everyone successfully covers themselves in sun cream so they don’t get burnt, they finally make their way onto the beach. 

Well, Changkyun has to be dragged out of the shade of the van and onto the beach by Kihyun, but he doesn’t hiss at the sun this time or make another reference to being a vampire, for which Hyungwon is thankful.

Almost immediately Jooheon and Hoseok go running into the water and start splashing each other. It doesn’t take much more time for Kihyun, Minhyuk, Changkyun and Hyunwoo to join them too. 

Hyungwon, though, doesn’t feel like going in the water just yet, or at all, really. Going into the water means taking his shirt off like everyone else and that’s not something Hyungwon really wants to do. 

It’s not that Hyungwon’s ashamed of his body, not really, but he still has that uncomfortable feeling about having a shirt off in public, especially being trans and having been unable to do so growing up.

There’s also the issue of his scars. He’s had them for years and he wouldn’t say he’s ashamed of them per say, but there is something scary about having them out on display that makes him feel weird, even if he knows his friends won’t care or even notice. 

So, Hyungwon sits on the sand and watches his friends have fun in the sea. 

He zones out after a little while, his eyes unfocusing as he stares into the distance. Then, a body blocks his view, and he blinks his eyes back into focus. 

“Hey, Hyungwon,” Hoseok says, taking a seat beside him on the sand. “How are you doing?”

“Uh, I’m okay,” Hyungwon replies. He’s a bit confused as to why Hoseok left the sea and the others to join him, so he asks Hoseok this. 

“I was worried about you not coming in with us,” Hoseok admits sheepishly. “Are you afraid of the sea or something?”

“No,” Hyungwon answers. “I just— I’m worried.”

“Worried? Why?” Hoseok sounds so sincerely concerned. 

Hyungwon looks back to their friends playing around in the sea and smiles sadly. “I feel awkward taking my shirt off to go in the sea because, well, you know.” After telling Changkyun and Kihyun about him being a trans man he’d gone ahead and told Hoseok shortly after, so now all his friends are aware.

Hoseok doesn’t reply for a while, but then he rests a hand on Hyungwon’s knee and says, “Minhyuk used to be the same, y’know? We have a pool near our house that Minhyuk, Jooheon and I swim at a lot, but Minhyuk always used to be afraid to go in and they’d sit at the side while Jooheon and I swam. I never really knew why, they didn’t explain it for a long time, but eventually they told me it was because of dysphoria. I’m telling you this because I know Minhyuk doesn’t mind me telling you as they’re very open about their experience being nonbinary. Eventually, we figured out that wearing a t-shirt in the water helped Minhyuk and no one minded that they were wearing one. So, if you want to come in with us, and you don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with, but if you do want to, you can wear a t-shirt. I have a spare in my bag that you can borrow. Only if you want to, of course.”

Hyungwon feels tears well up in his eyes, just from feeling so cared about. It’s not like he’s not felt cared about before because he’s always had Hyunwoo and he’s gotten closer to Jooheon over the years, but for Hoseok, who he only met a month ago and who he hasn’t had much alone time with to properly get to know, to come and check on him and make sure he’s okay just makes Hyungwon feel so cared for. “Thank you, Hoseok,” he says, sniffling a little. “If you don’t mind, I'd like to borrow that t-shirt and come join you guys.”

Hoseok grabs his bag and pulls out said t-shirt and hands it over to Hyungwon. “Do you want me to hold a towel up for you while you change or anything?”

“No, it’s okay, I’ll just do it quickly.”

Hoseok nods and then turns his back to Hyungwon. “I won’t look.”

Hyungwon smiles at Hoseok’s thoughtfulness and then pulls off the t-shirt he’s wearing in one swift motion and then pulls Hoseok’s spare t-shirt over his head quickly after. It only takes a few seconds for him to change and announce, “I’m done.”

Hoseok turns back, smiles, and then says, “I’ll race you to the water.” With that, he takes off running towards the sea, not even waiting for Hyungwon to stand up. 

Hyungwon rolls his eyes before pushing himself up from the sand and strolling casually over to the sea where everyone else is. 

“You lost,” Hoseok calls. He’s already submerged in the water, only his head above the surface. 

Hyungwon doesn’t get a chance to reply because an overenthusiastic Changkyun throws himself at Hyungwon, grabbing his arm and tugging him into the water. “Come on.”

Hyungwon lets himself be pulled in. He shivers as he gets deeper into the water. Even though the sun is beating down on them, the sea is still extremely cold.

“Don’t worry, it warms up,” Kihyun reassures. 

Hyungwon, through chattering teeth, says, “I sure hope so.”

And Kihyun’s right, of course, because minutes later Hyungwon is no longer shivering and the water doesn’t feel cold in the slightest. 

“Hyungwon, come here,” Changkyun yells. He’s a little ways away with Jooheon, slightly deeper than Hyungwon who’s stayed fairly close to the beach. 

Hyungwon makes his way over to Changkyun and Jooheon cautiously, slightly afraid he’s going to be swept away by the current. When he gets to them, he asks, “What’s up?”

“We’re planning an ambush,” Changkyun replies with a shit-eating grin. 

“Correction. Changkyun’s planning an ambush and I’ve just been forced into it,” Jooheon says. 

“Who are we ambushing?”

“Kihyun, of course,” Changkyun answers. He points to where Kihyun has his back turned to the three of them, his head thrown back as he laughs at something that presumably Minhyuk said, as they have a proud look on their face. “We all swim up to him while he’s not looking and splash him is the plan.”

“Won’t one of the others tell him we’re coming when they see us?” Hyungwon asks. He doesn’t even know why he’s entertaining Changkyun’s ridiculous idea, but he’s at least glad he’s not the one being targeted, even if he does feel bad for Kihyun. 

“Minhyuk’s got our backs. They’re keeping Kihyun distracted.”

Hyungwon looks back over and makes eye contact with Minhyuk, who then does a dramatic wink and throws up a peace sign and Hyungwon takes that as a sign that Minhyuk is in fact helping them. He’s not sure how Kihyun missed Minhyuk’s obvious display, but he doesn’t turn back at all, so Hyungwon assumes he just wasn’t looking. Or maybe he’s just used to Minhyuk throwing up peace signs at random moments, because at this point Hyungwon wouldn’t really be surprised by that. 

“So, are you in?” Changkyun asks the both of them. 

Jooheon sighs, but reluctantly agrees. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“Nope,” Changkyun answers far too cheerily. He turns to look at Hyungwon, making his best puppy dog eyes. “Will you help?”

“If he gets mad I’m putting it all on you.”

Changkyun cheers, pumping a fist in the air. “On three,” he says, and then begins counting.

When he reaches three, he, Jooheon and Hyungwon all rush forward at once, kicking their legs as fast as they can. They reach Kihyun in record time and on Changkyun’s yell of, “Now!” Hyungwon puts his palms flat and pushes forward in Kihyun’s direction, soaking him with water. 

Hyungwon also gets completely soaked in the action, but he doesn’t even care. The completely unimpressed look on Kihyun’s face as his fringe clings to his forehead and water runs down his cheeks is so funny that Hyungwon can’t help but burst into laughter. 

Soon, everyone is laughing too, even Kihyun, who’s shaking his head as he does so. “I should’ve known you were planning something,” he says. “Minhyuk’s peace sign was suspicious but I’m so used to seeing them do it I just assumed it was a reflex.”

“We planned it as soon as we got to the beach and you went looking for the toilet,” Minhyuk says with a grin. “You’re welcome.”

Kihyun rolls his eyes, and then he turns to Hyungwon. He points an accusing finger at him, an eyebrow raised. “I never thought you’d betray me like this.”

“Changkyun can be very convincing,” Hyungwon says simply. 

Kihyun narrows his eyes as if he’s pondering this, then lets his arm drop and sighs. “I hate that you’re right.”

Hyungwon smiles innocently, and then pats the top of Kihyun’s head (which isn’t really a nice feeling since his hair is soaked through). “I’ll help you get him back next time,” he offers. 

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Hey,” Changkyun whines, “I’m right here.”

Hyungwon puts his hand above his eyes and squints as he pretends to look around. “Did you hear that?” he asks. “I’m sure I heard someone speak.”

Kihyun joins in with the joke quickly, looking around too. He looks around for a few seconds before he turns back to Hyungwon and shrugs. “Must’ve imagined it.”

“I hate you both,” Changkyun says, crossing his arms and pouting. 

“No, you love us,” Hyungwon retorts, throwing Changkyun’s infamous reply back at him. 

Changkyun splutters and doesn’t manage to come up with a reply. Instead he looks away with a “hmph” and pouts even harder. 

Hyungwon swims over to him and pokes his cheek. “No more pouting.”

“You can’t stop me.”

Hyungwon raises an eyebrow. “Oh, can’t I?” And with a surge of confidence Hyungwon leans forward and presses the lightest kiss to the tip of Changkyun’s nose, just because he can. 

Changkyun’s mouth drops instantly as he does it and Hyungwon pulls away with a grin. “See, told you I could stop you.”

Changkyun looks confused for a moment, before it dawns on him what just happened. He shoves Hyungwon and whines again. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“No, I really don’t,” Changkyun admits quietly. 

Hyungwon doesn’t really know what to say to that, so he says nothing. He just reaches out for Changkyun’s hand and gives it a squeeze. “Want to get some ice cream?” he asks. 

Changkyun’s face lights up like a child on Christmas morning. “Hell yeah. I love ice cream.”

* * *

After Changkyun devours two ice creams, he and Hyungwon have both already started to dry off after being in the sea. “Do you want to go back in?” Changkyun asks, nodding towards the rest of their group who are still all together in the sea. 

Hyungwon looks over and considers it, but then shakes his head. “It’s annoying to have to dry off again.”

“That’s true,” Changkyun agrees. “They’ll probably get out soon, anyway.”

And, as he predicted, not much later the rest of their friends come running over to them. 

“I feel like a raisin,” Minhyuk says, shoving their hands into Hyungwon’s face to show him how wrinkly they are. 

Hyungwon leans to the right to look at Minhyuk’s face past their hands. “You look like a raisin.” 

“That’s rude.” Minhyuk pulls their hands back and crosses their arms across their chest. 

“You’re the most beautiful raisin, princess,” Hoseok says, sliding up to Minhyuk’s side and wrapping an arm around their waist.

The corner of Minhyuk’s mouth lift into a smile. 

Hoseok plants a kiss on their cheek and then grins too.

“Cute,” Hyungwon mumbles unconsciously. 

“Aww, thanks, Hyungwonnie,” Minhyuk says. They reach out and pinch Hyungwon’s cheeks. “This is why you’re my favourite son.”

“Hey, I thought I was your favourite son,” Changkyun whines from somewhere next to Hyungwon. 

“Hyungwon is my only son, sorry,” Minhyuk says with a shit-eating grin. “I guess you’ll just have to find another parent.”

“Well where am I meant to find one of those?” Changkyun whines.

Minhyuk raises an eyebrow. “Kihyun, you up for it?”

The absolutely disgusted look on Kihyun’s face as he says, “No fucking way,” has Hyungwon crying with laughter.

Sadly, his amusement doesn’t get to last long.

“Hey, guys, there’s updates about the outbreak,” Hyunwoo calls. He’s walking back towards the group of them sitting on the beach carrying a portable radio with him. 

Hyunwoo sits down and places the radio down next to him, then turns up the volume button. 

“We’ve heard news that they’re working on a cure for the virus, but as of right now there still isn’t one,” comes the same radio host’s voice. Hyungwon wonders if he isn’t sick of reporting the same thing multiple times a day, because he knows he would be. “We’re all hoping for a cure soon, I’m sure.” He pauses for a moment and there’s the sound of paper being shuffled. “We’re aware of four deaths so far from the virus and so it can be confirmed it is deadly. If you or someone you know has been infected, please report to a hospital immediately. Although a cure hasn’t been found, there are ways to slow the effects of the virus down. So, please, if you think you might have it, get to a hospital now. Seoul is currently still under quarantine, and it seems like it will be for the foreseeable future. At least until a cure is found.

“Now, a reminder of the confirmed symptoms of the virus. Again, if you’ve experienced or are experiencing any of these, please get to a hospital immediately.” The host starts listing off the same symptoms as before. 

Hyungwon looks around at his friends as the radio host speaks, and he notices that Kihyun looks paler than usual. Strangely pale, actually. 

That thought is quickly swept away when the host ends the list of symptoms and Hyungwon realises that nothing mentioned even remotely pointed towards vampires. 

“Hey, Changkyun,” Hyungwon says, looking over at Changkyun with a frown. “Why did you think you’re a vampire, again?”

“The host said bloodthirsty,” Changkyun explains. 

“Not just now he didn’t,” Jooheon adds. “And you’re not even sick anymore.”

Changkyun’s eyes go wide. “No, I’m sure he said it.”

“You don’t have the virus, do you?” Kihyun asks. “And you’re not a vampire, either, but I never really believed that.”

“No, no. I’m definitely a vampire.”

“Wait,” Hyunwoo says suddenly, interrupting the conversation. “You all took him seriously?”

Hyungwon looks around at everyone else, who all shrug and nod, so he does the same. 

Hyunwoo rolls his eyes. “I thought you all knew he was just being dramatic. He’s not got the virus at all.”

“Now, now, Hyunwoo,” Changkyun says, pointing a finger at him. “I could’ve _died_.”

“You had a 24 hour cold, and now you’re fine,” Hyunwoo shoots back, laughing slightly. “You’re just dramatic.”

Changkyun opens his mouth like he’s going to argue, then shuts it again and sighs. “Okay, fine. I was _maybe_ being a bit dramatic.”

“You _suck_ ,” Jooheon complains. “I was worried you were dying.”

Changkyun at least has the decency to look sheepish. “I thought you all knew I’m dramatic.”

Which, well, they all did, and looking back on it now Hyungwon can see that they all got fooled (except Hyunwoo, of course). Hyungwon’s mostly just relieved that Changkyun’s over whatever cold he did have and doesn’t have the virus. Any of their group having the virus would be awful, really awful, especially since they’re so far out from Seoul where the cure is being found with no way to get back into the city. 

So, Hyungwon breathes a sigh of relief that all of them are okay. 

* * *

They decide to stay in a hotel for the night. Camping out and sleeping in the van for the trip so far has saved them a lot of money and they all collectively decide they can splurge a little to get some nice hotel rooms for the night. They’ve been trying to save as much money as possible for the sake of the ones among them who are students or recently graduated and so unemployed, Hyungwon being one of them, but they’ve managed to spend so little that actually sleeping in a proper bed for the night sounds like a dream. Hyungwon can’t even put into words how much he’s missed sleeping in an actual bed and not out on the ground or in the van. 

They settle on three rooms between them. One for Hyunwoo and Jooheon, one for Minhyuk and Hoseok, and the last for Changkyun, Kihyun and Hyungwon. 

After a nice dinner as a group, Hyunwoo and Jooheon decide to retire to bed early as Jooheon’s completely exhausted, and Minhyuk convinces Hoseok to go to karaoke with them, which leaves Hyungwon, Changkyun and Kihyun without anything to do. They could follow Hyunwoo and Jooheon’s example and return to their room, but Changkyun seems to be too full of energy for that. 

“How do you guys feel about going on a walk on the beach?” Changkyun asks. He’s practically bouncing in his seat, probably from the amount of sugar he’s consumed just in soft drinks today. 

“That sounds good to me,” Kihyun agrees. “Hyungwon?”

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

So, the three of them exit the restaurant and head towards the beach. It’s still light out, but only barely. The sun’s just beginning to set and the sky is painted in shades of pink and orange. It looks beautiful, and Hyungwon thinks it’s the perfect setting for a stroll down the beach. 

It’s still warm out, but there’s a slight breeze that makes Hyungwon shiver slightly, to which Kihyun tuts at him. “You should start dressing right for the weather.”

“It’s been warm all day, I didn’t need a jacket,” Hyungwon defends. 

Kihyun shoves him in retaliation at a lack of reply. 

Hyungwon laughs and he feels free, for some reason. He doesn’t know why, but he has a good feeling about tonight. Maybe it’s the atmosphere, or maybe it’s just that the day so far has been filled with good memories and positive feelings. 

Changkyun still seems to be bouncing as he walks down the beach, but Hyungwon starts to wonder if it really is sugar or if he’s feeling nervous for some strange reason. 

“Changkyun, are you okay?” Hyungwon decides to ask. 

“Huh? Me? Yeah, totally,” Changkyun replies, his voice coming out higher than it normally does. 

Strange. Very strange. But Hyungwon decides to let it go. If Changkyun wants to talk about it, he will, so Hyungwon won’t push him. 

They keep walking in a comfortable silence. Words aren’t needed. All they really need is each other’s presence.

Changkyun starts to slow down slightly, so Hyungwon does too, which prompts Kihyun to also slow down. Then, Changkyun comes to a complete stop all of a sudden. 

Hyungwon and Kihyun stop too and turn back to look at Changkyun. He’s looking down at the floor and shuffling his feet. 

“Changkyun?” Kihyun asks gently, reaching out for him, but then dropping his arm when Changkyun flinches away. He looks worried, slightly hurt, but then schools his face back into neutral before Changkyun can see. “What’s going on?”

Changkyun takes a long, deep breath and then says, “I need to say something.”

“You can tell us anything,” Hyungwon reassures. 

Changkyun nods ever so slightly, but his gaze remains on the floor. 

Hyungwon waits. He doesn’t know what it is Changkyun wants to say, or even what it could possibly be about, but if he seems this worked up about whatever it is, then Hyungwon can wait as long as Changkyun needs. 

Kihyun, however, seems to be getting impatient. He opens his mouth, but before any words can come out Hyungwon lightly hits him with the back of his hand and shakes his head.

“Why not?” Kihyun mouths. 

“Just wait,” Hyungwon mouths back. 

And so they do. They wait a lot longer than Hyungwon had anticipated, but it turns out to be worth it. Because when Changkyun finally looks up, his eyes shining with tears, he declares, “I have feelings for both of you.”

It goes so silent you could hear a pin drop. 

Hyungwon doesn’t know how to process the information he’s just been given and his (and Kihyun’s) silence must panic Changkyun. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry, you can pretend I never said that,” he spits out. “I thought maybe you both felt the same and after all the stuff that’s been going on I just wanted to finally say it but now I feel dumb and like I’ve fucked up and please don’t hate me I promise I’ll never bring this up again and we can just stay friends because I can’t lose either of you you both mean too much to me but also if you don’t want to talk to me after this I do respect that and that’s okay and I really—“

Kihyun covers Changkyun’s mouth with his hand to cut off his rambling. “I like you, too,” he says. 

Changkyun’s face instantly changes from terrified to overjoyed. 

Then, Kihyun turns to Hyungwon, his hand still covering Changkyun’s mouth. “I like you as well, Hyungwon.”

And Hyungwon doesn’t know what to do or say. He likes both of them _so_ much, he really does, and this is probably the best possible thing that could happen to him, but his insecurities get the best of him. He starts to panic instead of being happy like he should be. 

Hundreds of different thoughts rush through Hyungwon’s head at once. Ones telling him he’s not good enough. Ones about how they’d be better off together without him. Ones telling him that he’s not worthy of being liked. 

Hyungwon’s brought out of his own head when he feels the weight of someone’s hands on his shoulders. He focuses back in on what’s in front of him and sees Kihyun frowning at him. “What’s wrong?”

Hyungwon smiles sadly, feeling tears prick at the corner of his eyes. “I like you both so much,” he admits, and Kihyun’s face lights up. Hyungwon feels bad for what he’s going to say next. “But I think you’re better off just with each other and not with me.”

It hurts him to say. It obviously hurts Kihyun, too, because he removes his hands from Hyungwon’s shoulders and takes a step back. “Why would you say that?”

“I—“ Hyungwon starts, but then his words fail him. He doesn’t know how to phrase how he feels. 

“Is it us? Do you not want to be with us? Because that’s fine if so,” Changkyun says. 

“No, no.” Hyungwon shakes his head aggressively for emphasis. “I like you both so much I’d love to be with you both. It’s just— Fuck, I don’t know how to explain.”

“Insecurities?” Kihyun offers. He looks less hurt now that Hyungwon’s tried to explain himself a bit more. “I can’t speak for Changkyun, although I’m sure he’ll agree, but I can speak for myself. And I can tell you there’s nothing I’d want more than to date you. Both of you.”

“Me too,” Changkyun agrees. He walks up to Hyungwon and cups his face in his hands. “We can work through anything you’re worried about. I promise.”

Hyungwon takes a deep breath and thinks about it. It doesn’t take him long to come to a decision, though, because despite his insecurities, he knows what he wants. “So, who wants to be boyfriends and be gay together?”

“Be gay, do crimes?” Changkyun replies, grinning. 

“No crimes, thank you,” Kihyun says. “But the gay part I can get behind.”

Hyungwon feels his heart soar with happiness. And when Changkyun leans forwards and kisses him, somehow he feels even happier than he thought would ever be possible. 

* * *

They end up walking back to the hotel hand in hand (with many stops to steal kisses, of course) and Hyungwon feels ecstatic. 

When they make it to their room, they realise they only have a double bed between the three of them, but that’s not an issue now that they’re all dating. Hyungwon’s sure that if Changkyun’s confession hadn’t happened he’d be panicking and end up sleeping on the floor. Luckily, it’s actually a good thing for them to have only one bed. 

Changkyun throws himself onto the bed and then stretches out into a starfish shape. 

Kihyun raises an eyebrow. “Do you expect us to sleep on the floor?”

“No,” Changkyun says with a roll of his eyes. “I expect cuddles.”

Hyungwon blushes at the thought of spending all night cuddling his boyfriends (his _boyfriends_! They’re actually dating. He still can’t believe it) as if he hasn’t already cuddled the both of them multiple times so far. There’s just something different about it now that they’re actually dating. 

Hyungwon yawns loudly and then climbs into the bed beside Changkyun. Instantly Changkyun wraps an arm around his waist and pulls him close, and Hyungwon just lets him do it. He giggles slightly and Changkyun coos. 

“You’re adorable,” he says, booping Hyungwon’s nose. 

“The most adorable,” Kihyun agrees, also climbing into the bed. 

Hyungwon notes that they’re all still wearing their clothes from the day which aren’t going to be comfortable to sleep in, but now he’s comfortable and doesn’t want to move so he decides not to mention it. “Do I have constant compliments to look forward to now?”

“Don’t we always compliment you, handsome?” Kihyun asks, and even though Hyungwon can’t see him from his position he can hear the smirk in Kihyun’s voice. 

“I’m going to sleep. Goodnight,” Hyungwon jokes and shuts his eyes tight. He makes fake snoring noises like he’s actually sleeping. 

Changkyun and Kihyun both start laughing. 

Then, Changkyun gasps dramatically. “Going to sleep without giving a goodnight kiss? I think I need a new boyfriend already.”

Hyungwon opens his eyes and stops his fake snoring. He huffs, then leans forward and plants a kiss on Changkyun’s cheek. “Better?”

“Better.”

Kihyun, rather unsubtly, coughs loudly. But then his fake cough turns into a real cough and Hyungwon sits up slightly to look at him over Changkyun in worry. “Are you sick?”

Kihyun waves a hand dismissively. “No, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“Okay, good.” And then Hyungwon leans over Changkyun (ignoring his very loud complaints) and kisses Kihyun’s forehead ever so gently.

Kihyun smiles as Hyungwon pulls away, a light blush on his cheeks. “Goodnight, handsome.”

“Goodnight, Ki,” Hyungwon replies. “Goodnight, Kyun.”

“Night,” Changkyun says through a yawn. 

Hyungwon settles back into the bed (and Changkyun’s side) and shuffles around slightly until he gets into a comfortable position. 

He falls asleep with a smile on his face, the happiness of the day sticking with him even as he sleeps. 

* * *

When Hyungwon wakes up the next morning, he almost expects to wake up to an empty hotel room and realise that everything that happened the previous night was all a dream. 

But it wasn’t. He wakes up to his two boyfriends sleeping soundly next to him. He can’t help the smile that comes over his face as he looks at the two of them, seeing how soft and gentle they look as they sleep. 

He feels slightly creepy watching them sleep, but they look so peaceful he can’t help it. 

Unfortunately, his need to use the bathroom means that he has to leave the warm bed and his boyfriends’ sides. 

He stumbles into the bathroom blindly as the lights are still off in the room and he doesn’t want to turn them off and wake Changkyun and Kihyun up.

After he relieves himself, he takes a look in the mirror and realises that his hair is all over the place and his skin isn’t looking its best. He panics, worried about Changkyun and Kihyun waking up and seeing him looking like this, but then he takes a deep breath and reminds himself that they’ve already seen him at his worst and they still have feelings for him, so he has nothing to worry about. 

When he thinks about the fact that he’s _actually_ dating Changkyun and Kihyun now a smile breaks out over his face. A smile so wide that it makes his cheeks hurt, but he can’t stop it. Whenever he tries to stop smiling, it just comes back. He can’t help it. He’s just so _happy_. 

There’s a knock at the bathroom door and then Changkyun’s sleepy voice floats into the room. “Baby, you in there?”

Hyungwon blushes at the nickname, but calls back, “Yeah. You can come in.”

Changkyun comes stumbling in. 

“You’re beautiful, you know,” Hyungwon blurts out. He didn’t even mean to say it out loud, only a passing thought in his mind upon seeing Changkyun. 

Changkyun blinks his eyes open and his mouth drops slightly. “I literally just woke up. I look terrible.”

“No, you look beautiful,” Hyungwon counters, because he does. Even if he has just woken up, Hyungwon thinks Changkyun is beautiful at every moment of his life, and mornings are no exception. 

“I gotta pee. Can you go check on Kihyun? He seemed weird when I woke up,” Changkyun says. 

Hyungwon nods, plants a kiss on Changkyun’s cheek, and then leaves the bathroom to go back to the main room. The light is turned on now, but Kihyun’s still in bed. He has the blanket pulled right up to his chin, his face just peeking out over the top. 

“Morning, handsome,” he says, his voice cracking, but even so there’s a smile on his face. 

Hyungwon frowns. “Good morning. Are you okay?” He feels like he’s asking that a lot recently, but there’s definitely something going on with Kihyun. He knows that much. 

“Just tired,” Kihyun replies. He definitely sounds sick, not just tired, but Hyungwon knows him well enough to know that Kihyun is stubborn and doesn’t like to admit to things. 

So, Hyungwon raises an eyebrow and stares at Kihyun.

Kihyun stares back before he finally relents and sighs. “I think I’ve got that cold that Changkyun had the other day. I’m fine though.”

Hyungwon contemplates this, then accepts it. He does seem to be similarly unwell as how Changkyun was before, so there’s no reason for Hyungwon not to believe Kihyun. “You should get some more sleep.”

“No, I want to come to breakfast with you,” Kihyun insists, referring to the breakfast they’d arranged the night before with the rest of their friends. Kihyun attempts to get out of bed, but as soon as he stands he seems unsteady on his feet and so Hyungwon rushes immediately over to him and grabs his waist to steady him. Kihyun holds onto Hyungwon’s arms and takes a deep breath. Then, he looks up at Hyungwon through his eyelashes, and whispers, “I’m sorry.”

Hyungwon frowns once again. He lets go of Kihyun’s waist with one hand, keeping the other one there to make sure he doesn’t fall, and lightly sweeps Kihyun’s hair out of his face. He cups Kihyun’s cheek with his hand and asks, “Why are you sorry?”

“I’m already ruining today,” Kihyun admits in a small voice. 

“Look at me, Ki,” Hyungwon says, and Kihyun does just that. His eyes are shining with tears and Hyungwon feels like his heart just got stabbed repeatedly when he sees it. He decides he never wants to see Kihyun sad ever again. 

Hyungwon doesn’t know what words to say, so instead he leans forward until his lips are only an inch from Kihyun’s. He doesn’t move, just waits for Kihyun to close the distance. 

Which he does, but all he does is peck Hyungwon quickly on the lips and then pull away and sit back down on the bed. 

Hyungwon tries not to be offended, tries not to be hurt that Kihyun seems so reluctant to kiss him, but he pulls away like he’s been burned automatically, and Kihyun looks up guiltily at him. 

“I’m sorry. I just don’t want to get you sick, too.”

It’s a reasonable explanation, one that Hyungwon should be able to easily believe, but there’s a little voice in his head that tells him otherwise, and he can’t help but listen to it. He says nothing, though, and instead decides to tuck Kihyun into bed. Kihyun lets himself be tucked in, humming a quiet thanks, already beginning to fall asleep. Hyungwon rests the back of his hand on Kihyun’s forehead and finds that it’s burning hot. He presses a light kiss to Kihyun’s forehead. 

“Jooheon just text me,” Changkyun says, walking into the room. “He said they’re meeting for breakfast now if we want to join.”

Hyungwon looks down at his crumpled clothes and debates for a second whether it’s worth changing from what he slept in and wore the previous day, but then he decides it’s not worth it and nods. “Ki’s staying here to sleep,” he explains to Changkyun. Then, he turns back to Kihyun and says, “We’ll bring you something back.”

Kihyun hums in reply. 

Hyungwon shuts off the light as they leave the room, grabs Changkyun’s hand and then leads him down to the lobby to meet the others. 

* * *

After having an extremely filling breakfast, Hyungwon and Changkyun make their way back to the room. Hyungwon had told the others about how Kihyun’s feeling and they’d agreed to stay at the hotel for another few hours to give him more time to rest before heading out on the road again. They don’t have to check out of the hotel until midday, anyway, so it works out just fine. 

Hyungwon and Changkyun also announce to the others about their relationship during their breakfast and Minhyuk almost screams in delight. They end up giving Hyungwon and Changkyun multiple hugs, claiming their “son is all grown up now” which Hyungwon finds a bit embarrassing, but he lets Minhyuk have their moment because he knows how happy they are for the three of them. 

After delivering Kihyun his breakfast (he’s still asleep, so Hyungwon leaves it on the bedside table for him), Hyungwon and Changkyun decide to make use of the hotel’s utilities and make their way to the laundry room to finally get some washing done. 

They had stopped off at a laundrette about two weeks ago after Minhyuk started complaining about running out of things to wear, but clothes don’t seem to last long and Hyungwon feels like his are long overdue for a wash. 

They two of them stuff as many clothes as possible into the machines to make the most of their money, and then sit down on one of the benches to wait for everything to wash. 

There are a few other people in the laundry room, and Hyungwon isn’t too big on PDA, so he rests a hand on Changkyun’s thigh, but doesn’t do anything else. “Can I ask you something?” Hyungwon asks. “It’s about Kihyun.”

“Yeah, sure. What is it?”

Hyungwon thinks it over for a while, trying to pick the most appropriate way to word his thoughts. “Has he dated anyone before?” Not what he wanted to ask at all, but now he’s said it he can’t take it back, unfortunately. 

Changkyun looks confused, but he just goes with it, for which Hyungwon is thankful. “He had a girlfriend for a little bit. Why?”

Hyungwon dodges the question, and instead asks his own question. “Was he weird about kissing her or anything?”

“No, not really. They didn’t last long because they decided they’re better as friends, but he never seemed off around her.”

Hyungwon hums to acknowledge Changkyun’s answer, but says nothing more. It wasn’t the answer he was hoping for, if he’s honest, and now he’s worried about their relationship. 

“What’s really going on?” Changkyun asks. “Because these are some strange questions to ask.”

Hyungwon was hoping Changkyun would let it go, but it was in vain, it seems. He sighs. “I thought maybe he was just weird with physical affection or something and that’s why he doesn’t want to kiss me.” He feels ridiculous and embarrassed now he’s said it out loud. 

Changkyun rests his hand on top of the hand Hyungwon has on his leg and squeezes. “He might just be taking some time to get used to a new relationship. I’ve noticed he’s like it with me, too, so before you start worrying it’s because of you it’s definitely not,” Changkyun reassures. “I was worried he was regretting his decision, but I don’t think it’s that. I think he just really doesn’t want to get either of us sick.”

“Yeah, that’s what he told me,” Hyungwon says. Then, he scoffs self-deprecatingly and adds, “Stupid insecurities, right? Hah.”

“If you’re ever worried or feeling insecure, talk to us, okay?” Changkyun says, looking deeply into Hyungwon’s eyes to show his sincerity. “We both care about you a lot and want this to work and communication is the most important thing for that.” Changkyun usually isn’t this serious. Hyungwon doesn’t think he’s experienced such a serious side of Changkyun so far, but it makes him appreciate him even more, if that’s even possible. “And hey, if you’re ever lacking kisses, you know where to find me,” he adds with a smirk. 

Hyungwon rolls his eyes, because that’s such a typical Changkyun thing to say, but he does feel a lot better now that he’s spoken to him. “Thanks, Kyun. I feel a lot better now.”

Changkyun squeezes Hyungwon’s hand once again. “Anything for you, baby.”

Hyungwon blushes at the pet name and wonders if he’ll ever get used to it. He still gets embarrassed when Kihyun calls him handsome and he’s been doing that since they met. 

Hyungwon looks around the room to make sure no one’s looking, and then when he confirms that no one is, he kisses Changkyun’s cheek quickly. 

Changkyun ends up blushing, much to Hyungwon’s delight (as it means he’s not the only one getting embarrassed) and shoves Hyungwon away lightly. 

Hyungwon grins, feeling much happier and lighter and prepared for his day. 

Well, once their clothes are finally washed, anyway. 

* * *

Hyungwon really needs to use the toilet, so he leaves Changkyun in the laundry room to wait the last ten minutes or so for their washing to be done and returns to the room alone. 

He creeps in quietly, not wanting to wake Kihyun up if he’s still asleep. He shuts the door slowly, gritting his teeth when it creaks as it moves.

Once the door is closed, he turns to enter the bathroom, but stops when he hears a strange noise in the room. He stands completely still and waits. 

It happens again. An almost hiccup-like noise. 

Hyungwon frowns and wonders what’s going on. The only explanation is that it’s Kihyun making the noises, but he doesn’t know why he is. 

He waits a bit longer, his urge to use the toilet forgotten, until he hears a full sob sound and jolts into action. He switches the light on and hurries around the corner to find Kihyun with the blanket wrapped tightly around him, tears streaming down his face. 

Hyungwon panics, he doesn’t know what to really do, so he sits on the bed close to Kihyun (but doesn’t touch him, in case Kihyun doesn’t want him to) and in a frantic voice asks, “What’s wrong? Why are you upset?”

Somehow, Kihyun just cries harder. He rolls over so his back is to Hyungwon so Hyungwon can’t see his face, and Hyungwon’s heart clenches. 

“Ki?” he tries again. 

“Hold me,” Kihyun chokes out between sobs.

So, Hyungwon does. He carefully moves to lie down behind Kihyun and wraps his arm carefully around Kihyun’s waist. He slips his hand into Kihyun’s and squeezes. “Is this okay?” he whispers. 

“Yeah,” Kihyun croaks. 

Hyungwon strokes his thumb over Kihyun’s hand, attempting to comfort him. He wishes he knew what was going on with Kihyun so he knew what he could do or say to make him feel better, but he’s in the dark and he hates it. All he wants to do is to make Kihyun feel better, but the best he can do is lie here and hold him and hope that’s enough. 

And so Hyungwon holds Kihyun while he cries. He does his best to comfort him while he waits for Kihyun to calm down enough to finally talk to him. 

It takes quite a while of Hyungwon whispering sweet nothings into his ear and staying as close to him as possible, but eventually Kihyun is able to calm down and stop crying. 

“Thank you,” Kihyun whispers, sniffling a bit after he speaks. 

Hyungwon kisses the top of Kihyun’s head lightly. He waits for a moment, but Kihyun doesn’t speak again, so he decides to try asking again about what’s going on. “Why are you upset?”

Kihyun sighs, but it ends up turning into a cough. 

Hyungwon waits for Kihyun to answer him. The longer he waits, though, the more his anxiety grows. He hates not knowing what’s going on with Kihyun, but he also can’t force it out of him. So, he waits, and hopes Kihyun will open up to him soon. 

Kihyun goes so quiet that Hyungwon thinks he’s fallen asleep. But then, suddenly, he says in a quiet voice, “I think I have the virus.”

Hyungwon freezes. The virus? Like, the virus from Seoul?

It can’t be. There’s no way that Kihyun can have the virus. They’ve been out of Seoul for over a month now. 

But, if he thinks about it, it does make sense. Kihyun’s coughing and paleness over the last few days that seemed to come on rather suddenly which fits what they’ve heard from the radio. Hyungwon thinks back to the announcements on the radio they’ve been listening to on and off and remembers the host saying that scientists believe that people contract the virus but then don’t display symptoms for a few weeks before it suddenly gets really bad all at once. And that’s exactly what seems to have happened to Kihyun. 

Hyungwon feels sick. So, so sick. And he feels like he could sob his heart out if he let himself. 

But no. He has to be strong for Kihyun. He can’t let this be about him, because he’s not the one with the virus. Kihyun is. 

So, Hyungwon holds Kihyun tight and promises him that they’ll get everything figured out. 

Kihyun’s mood completely changes after he tells Hyungwon, and it somehow only worries him further. He thought once Kihyun stopped crying he could worry less, but he seems to have gone completely blank, his eyes glazed over as he stares at the wall without speaking. 

Hyungwon doesn’t know what to say or do. He wants to do something to fix this. He’d take the virus away from Kihyun if he could, but he can’t do that. He just has to sit here and think about how his boyfriend has a deadly virus to which there’s currently no cure and all the research into the virus is in Seoul, hundreds of miles away. 

It’s terrifying. 

Hyungwon realises belatedly that now Kihyun’s hesitance to show affection makes a lot more sense. He’s afraid of passing the virus on to Hyungwon and Changkyun. Hyungwon feels guilty for ever doubting Kihyun now that he knows why Kihyun did what he did, but he also reminds himself that he can’t help his insecurities and that Kihyun wouldn’t judge him or want him to feel guilty for his reaction, so he shouldn’t judge himself either. 

Kihyun’s breathing has evened out, alerting Hyungwon that he’s fallen asleep. 

Hyungwon doesn’t move, though. He just holds Kihyun as he sleeps, stays as close to him as possible. 

Not long later, Hyungwon hears the door open and then Changkyun appears at the end of the bed carrying their finally washed clothes. He puts the bags down and smiles at Hyungwon, but then when his gaze shifts to Kihyun his smile transforms into a frown. “Is he okay?” he whispers. 

Hyungwon shakes his head. He doesn’t trust his voice right now, too afraid that as soon as he opens his mouth he’ll just start sobbing instead. 

Hyungwon’s movement must jostle Kihyun because he’s blinking his eyes open the next second. Kihyun lifts his head and spies Changkyun looking at him, and instantly the tears well up in his eyes once again. 

“Oh, angel, no. Don’t cry.” Changkyun hurries over to the free side of the bed and sits down on it before cupping Kihyun’s face with his hands. “What’s going on?” He looks between Hyungwon and Kihyun for an explanation. 

As much as Hyungwon wants to tell him, he doesn’t think it’s his place to do so. It should come straight from Kihyun, not from Hyungwon. 

“I think I have the virus,” Kihyun says, mirroring his own words from when he told Hyungwon before. 

Changkyun laughs and smiles. “You’re joking,” he says, disbelief clear in his voice. 

When Kihyun’s expression doesn’t change, Changkyun turns to Hyungwon instead. “He’s joking, right?”

And that’s what finally sets Hyungwon off. Instantly, tears start to stream down his face. He bites his lip, hard, to try and hold it in, telling himself that he’s got to be strong for Kihyun. 

But he can’t be strong anymore. He’s afraid - terrified, even - that he’s going to lose Kihyun. 

Soon the three of them are all crying together, holding each other tight, and that’s the last thing Hyungwon remembers before he falls asleep. 

* * *

Telling the others about Kihyun is hard. He asks Hyungwon and Changkyun to do it because he’s too exhausted to manage it himself. They have to check out of their hotel soon, so they need to tell the others quickly while Kihyun gets as much rest as possible in their room. 

Changkyun and Hyungwon find everyone sitting in the lobby together all looking happy and laughing and it makes Hyungwon feel awful for what they’re about to tell them. 

Jooheon spots them first and waves at them, then frowns. “Where’s Kihyun?”

“In the room,” Changkyun answers vaguely. His face is red and tear-stained, as is Hyungwon’s, and Hyungwon’s sure that they’re going to realise that something’s going on immediately. 

Hyungwon takes a seat on one of the free sofas, Changkyun sitting down next to him right after. Changkyun grabs his hand and squeezes it. “We need to talk about Kihyun,” Changkyun says to the others. 

“What’s going on?” Minhyuk asks. They look like they’re on the verge of tears already and Hyungwon feels for them. He knows how close Kihyun and Minhyuk are, so this won’t be easy for them (or any of the others) to hear either. 

“Kihyun’s got the virus,” Changkyun says, getting straight to the point. 

A silence falls over their group. 

Hyungwon looks away, down at his lap, so he can’t see the hurt on anyone else’s face, because he knows as soon as he sees how upset everyone is he’s going to cry again, and he’s had more than enough of that for today. 

“No,” is the first word anyone says, and it’s unsurprisingly Minhyuk. “He doesn’t have the virus. He can’t.”

“We can’t be sure, but he’s got the symptoms and he looks awful, honestly,” Changkyun says quietly. 

“But how?” Hoseok asks. He sounds choked up. 

Hyungwon still can’t bring himself to look up or even speak. Thankfully Changkyun has taken the lead on this one and Hyungwon needs to make sure to tell him how much he appreciates him doing so later. 

“I think he probably caught it when we were back in Seoul, but he’s only now showing symptoms. It’s like they explained on the radio.”

“We need to go back to Seoul,” Minhyuk says seriously. “We can make it back today if we leave now. We need to get him help.”

“We’re not cancelling the trip because I got sick,” comes Kihyun’s voice, much to Hyungwon’s confusion. 

So, Hyungwon looks up, and sure enough Kihyun is standing there in an oversized jumper looking worse for wear, but he’s out of bed and so that’s an improvement. 

“C’m’ere,” Changkyun says, holding his arms out wide. 

Kihyun nods and hurries over into Changkyun’s arms. He sits down on Changkyun’s lap and buries his face in Changkyun’s neck. “I might get you sick,” Kihyun whispers, only just loud enough for Changkyun and Hyungwon to hear. 

“I don’t care,” Changkyun says just as quietly. 

Hyungwon diverts his gaze from Kihyun and Changkyun to the rest of their friends, who all look extremely concerned. He realises none of them have seen Kihyun since the previous day when he didn’t look anywhere near as sick as he does now, so it must be a shock for them. 

“We need to get back to Seoul,” Jooheon says, slightly panicked. “We need to.”

Kihyun lifts his head from Changkyun’s chest to look at Jooheon and shake his head. “We’re not changing the plans.”

“We don’t even have any plans,” Minhyuk points out. “So, we can take you home.”

“Seoul’s under quarantine. We can’t get in even if we do return,” Kihyun argues. He pauses to cough, Changkyun rubbing his back gently as he does. “And we had vague plans. We go to different small towns and interesting places, stay there for a day or two and then move onto the next. We’re going to keep doing that.”

“Or,” Minhyuk disagrees, “we go back to where there’s a cure.”

“No, Min. We’re not doing that.”

Before the argument can get more heated, Hyunwoo decides to step in. “Enough, you two. I think everyone’s a bit emotional right now and so fighting isn’t going to solve anything. We can come to a compromise, though, I’m sure.”

“How?” Minhyuk asks, blatantly not looking at Kihyun. 

Hyungwon sees Kihyun rolls his eyes at Minhyuk’s obvious display of ignorance. 

“We do what Kihyun says and continue the trip,” Hyunwoo starts, only stopping when he sees Minhyuk open their mouth to argue again. “Let me finish.”

Minhyuk shuts their mouth and nods apologetically. 

“But,” Hyunwoo continues, “we start to make our way back towards Seoul and at a slightly quicker pace than we’ve been going at so far.”

His solution makes sense to Hyungwon, even if part of him wants to jump to Minhyuk’s agreement because he’s worried about Kihyun and just wants him to be healthy, but he also knows that Kihyun is stubborn and wouldn’t want to feel like others are being inconvenienced for his sake, and this seems like the best option. 

Everyone else seems to agree, as they all start nodding and humming. 

So, with that settled, Hyunwoo says, “Shall we check out and get back on the road then?”

More murmurs of agreement follow. 

* * *

Sadly, even once they’re back in the van driving towards their next destination, the mood just seems a lot more down than usual. Changkyun tries to cheer everyone up by making jokes, but it’s obvious that even he isn’t doing very good right now. 

Kihyun’s doing the worst out of all of them, but that doesn’t come as much of a surprise. He’s currently asleep with his head in Hyungwon’s lap after complaining of a headache pretty soon after they set off again. 

Hyungwon has his arm resting over Kihyun so he can feel his presence. It grounds him slightly, reminds him that Kihyun might be sick with the virus, but he’s still here. And even though he’s clearly not doing okay, he’s still here, and Hyungwon at least has the reassurance that he’s only just started showing symptoms, rather than being further along in the virus. He also knows that they are making their way back to Seoul, albeit rather slowly, and the people there are working hard to develop a cure. 

So, Hyungwon tells himself over and over again that Kihyun will be fine until he believes it. 

“Do you think he’s mad at me?” Minhyuk asks suddenly. They’ve been sniffling ever since they got in the car again like they’re desperately trying to hold back tears, and Hyungwon wouldn’t even be surprised if that were the case. 

“No, princess. He’s not,” Hoseok reassures, rubbing Minhyuk’s arms gently. “He knows you care for him and you’re just worried about him, I’m sure.”

“He won’t be mad,” Hyungwon agrees. He speaks quietly because he’s afraid if he speaks too loudly he’ll wake Kihyun up. Not that it seems possible to wake Kihyun up right now. He’s in such a deep sleep that nothing seems to be disturbing him. Even when Jooheon had accidentally started playing music at full volume Kihyun hadn’t budged one bit. 

Minhyuk doesn’t look convinced, but they accept Hoseok and Hyungwon’s words without argument. 

The van falls back into a silence. There’s been a lot of silence ever since everyone had found out about Kihyun, and Hyungwon’s not so sure he likes it. He’s gotten used to everyone talking and laughing constantly, but without that there he’s left alone with his own thoughts, and that’s the last thing he wants. 

All that’s going through his mind is every potential bad thing that could happen from here on out and he hates it. He doesn’t want to think negative thoughts, but with no distraction he feels like he can’t escape those thoughts. It feels like he’s drowning. 

But Hyungwon decides to say nothing. He knows they’re all dealing with the same thing right now, and so he’ll suck it up and do his best to deal with his thoughts alone. 

* * *

When Kihyun finally wakes up again, Hyungwon is more than relieved. He seems slightly better after his sleep, far less irritable and upset. 

Minhyuk apologises promptly on Kihyun’s waking up and Kihyun reassures them that he’s not mad at them, just stubborn, which makes everyone amused to hear Kihyun admitting to. 

With Kihyun awake and seeming slightly lively, the mood in the van jumps right up. There are more smiles and laughter than there were before, and Hyungwon feels his spirits lift. With more positive energy surrounding him, his negative thoughts end up decreasing and he’s instead able to focus on enjoying his time with his friends and boyfriends. 

“Is that a sign for a fair?” Jooheon asks suddenly, pointing at a sign in the distance. 

Without his glasses on and with no contacts in, Hyungwon can’t read the sign at all, but he hears a general agreement from the others and the excitement build. So, he assumes it is in fact a sign for a fair. 

Hyungwon hasn’t been to a fair since he was a kid. He forgot they were even a thing, really, but now that Jooheon’s pointed out the existence of the fair, Hyungwon’s actually quite excited. As they get closer to Seoul and so closer to going back to their regular lives (although Hyungwon is sure it’ll be different now that he has his boyfriends and a whole group of friends and will have a much better social life than he did previously) Hyungwon has started to feel his mood drop. He really doesn’t want their trip to end, even though he knows that it has to, and they especially need to get Kihyun back to the only place that has any sort of help for him. So, going to a fair seems like something that’ll lift Hyungwon’s spirits. (He also really wants to do that couple thing where you win a plushie for your partner, but that’s his embarrassing secret he doesn’t want to admit to.)

It seems like everyone else is also just as excited about the prospect of going to the fair, and so Hoseok starts to follow the signs for the fair and soon enough a ferris wheel comes into view, and then the rest of the fair soon after. 

It’s a bit of a struggle to find a parking spot as it seems that the fair is very popular and thus very busy, but Hoseok eventually finds them one, even if it is a bit of a walk from the actual fair. 

“I want candy floss,” Changkyun says as soon as they exit the van. 

“Ooh, me too,” Jooheon agrees. He turns to Hyunwoo and pouts slightly before asking, “Will you buy me some?”

It comes as no surprise that Hyunwoo instantly agrees, to which Jooheon gives him a kiss. 

Changkyun, obviously attempting to follow Jooheon’s example, says to Kihyun, “Will you buy me some candy floss?”

“Hmm, let me think,” Kihyun says. He taps his chin and hums thoughtfully as if actually pondering the question. Then, “Buy it yourself.”

Everyone starts laughing, which makes Changkyun pout and whine about Kihyun being a terrible boyfriend. Then, he turns to Hyungwon and tries again with him. 

“Aww, of course I will, Kyunnie,” Hyungwon says, grinning. 

As soon as Changkyun grins back, Hyungwon finger guns and says, “Sike.”

Changkyun groans so loudly it catches the attention of some people walking nearby who give him a confused look, but he doesn’t even seem to notice. He’s too busy whining about how his boyfriends secretly hate him and he deserves nothing but the best and other ridiculously dramatic things. 

“It’s okay,” Jooheon says, patting Changkyun’s shoulder with a look of clearly fake sympathy. “One day you’ll have the power I do.”

Changkyun crosses his arms like a petulant child and refuses to move even as they start to walk towards the fair. 

He eventually runs to catch up with them all after realising no one was going to stop for him, and when he reaches Hyungwon’s side Hyungwon leans over and whispers, “I’ll buy you some, just don’t tell the others.”

Changkyun smiles and kisses Hyungwon’s cheek before grabbing his hand and swinging their now interlocked hands between them. 

And seeing Changkyun so happy over something as simple as candy floss makes Hyungwon’s heart soar. 

* * *

“Hyungwon!” Changkyun yells, coming running towards Hyungwon, candy floss in hand. 

Hyungwon, who had been involved in a conversation with Minhyuk about whales, Minhyuk’s favourite thing to talk about, raises an eyebrow at Changkyun. “Yes?”

“Come,” is all Changkyun says, grabbing Hyungwon’s wrist then turning on his heel and running back in the direction he came from. 

Hyungwon lets Changkyun pull him along, also having to run to keep up with him. He doesn’t know where Changkyun is taking him, but he’s curious to know now. After buying Changkyun his candy floss as promised, the other had disappeared off somewhere and left Hyungwon alone with Minhyuk. 

That had been about half an hour ago, so Hyungwon’s shocked to see that Changkyun has any candy floss remaining, as he would’ve thought Changkyun would’ve finished it off as quickly as possible. 

Changkyun finally stops running, instead switching to a brisk walk, but he doesn’t let go of Hyungwon’s wrist, still continuing to pull him along behind him. 

“Where are we going?” Hyungwon asks finally. It seems like they’re walking past every stall in the fair and heading towards a far emptier area, so Hyungwon is rather confused. 

“You’ll see,” is Changkyun’s mysterious reply. 

Not much later, Hyungwon spots Kihyun standing by a stall and realises that must be where they’re heading to. 

As they get closer, Hyungwon realises it’s a hook a duck stall - the type where you have to use a long stick with a hook attached to it to grab a rubber duck out of a pool of water, and whatever’s on the bottom of the duck dictates your prize. He also notices that all of the prizes at the stall happen to be ocean themed. 

Kihyun doesn’t notice the two of them approaching as he’s too focused on trying to hook a duck, his tongue peeking out in concentration. Hyungwon and Changkyun keep quiet, trying not to disrupt his focus. 

Kihyun finally hooks a duck and pulls it closer to him to check the bottom, only to let out a disappointed sigh when it just has ‘lollipop’ written on the base. 

“Are you trying to get a specific prize?” Hyungwon asks. 

Kihyun must've completely not noticed their presence behind him as he startles and turns around to Hyungwon and Changkyun with a hand held to his chest. “You scared the crap out of me,” he says. “And I want that shark.” He points to a ginormous plushie of a great white shark suspended above the pool. It’s far too big to be convenient to take around the fair all day, let alone have it in their already cramped van, but since Kihyun wants it then Hyungwon decides he’s going to get it. 

“One try, please,” Hyungwon says to the worker, handing over enough money for a turn from the change he has in his pocket. 

“You’re really going to try for me?” Kihyun asks.

“Of course,” Hyungwon replies. 

The worker hands over the pole to Hyungwon and he holds it out as steady as he can. There’s probably around fifty different ducks in the pool, all of similar sizes, so it’s a game of luck, really, as to whether Hyungwon will hook a duck which allows him to take the shark Kihyun wants as a prize. 

He studies all of the ducks carefully, anyway, trying to see if there’s any sort of hint as to which one might be a better prize or not. He doubts the people who run the stall would do such a thing, but it doesn’t hurt to try anyway. It’s not like he has a time limit to stick to or anything so he can take as long as he needs. 

He notices that one duck in particular off towards the side of the pool has a smaller ring poking out of the top of it than the others near it. Although Hyungwon doesn’t know if it actually means anything, he decides this duck is going to be the one he’s going to hook. 

Slowly and carefully, he lowers the pole towards the duck. When the hook hits the top of the duck, he twists the pole slightly to try and get the hook onto the ring, but it misses. 

It takes a few tries, but Hyungwon eventually manages to get the hook around the ring on the duck, and he grins as he lifts the duck into the air and brings it towards himself. He takes the small duck off of the hook and reads the bottom which says ‘any prize’ and grins even wider. 

He hands the duck to the worker and says, “I’d like that shark, please.”

The worker takes down the huge shark, hands it to Hyungwon, and says, “Thanks for playing.”

Hyungwon turns around holding the shark to his chest, having to lean his head to the side to look around it as it’s almost as long as he is tall. “I got you a present.”

Kihyun launches himself at Hyungwon and the shark plushie, hugging Hyungwon as best he can with the huge plushie between them, repeating “thank you” over and over again excitedly. 

When he pulls away, he bounces on the balls of his feet and smiles shyly at Hyungwon. “Can I have him?”

Hyungwon hands the shark over and Kihyun hugs it tightly to his chest. He looks so delighted and it makes Hyungwon just as happy to see. With everything that’s been going on, Kihyun hasn’t been himself recently, but apparently all it took to change that was an overly large shark plushie. 

And Kihyun’s still clearly not okay, his sickness still obvious and seeming to worsen by the day, but he seems happy in the moment, and so Hyungwon puts all his worries aside and focuses on the joyfulness that radiates off Kihyun. 

Hyungwon turns to Changkyun who’s munching on his candy floss. “Did you really make me run over here for the hook the duck game?”

“I thought Kihyun was going to win the shark and I didn’t want you to miss his happiness, but then he didn’t win it so it turned out running was kinda pointless. Oops.”

“But now I have my shark thanks to the most handsome man in all of Korea,” Kihyun says with a grin. 

“I want to be offended, but I have to agree with you on that,” Changkyun says. 

Hyungwon blushes, as he always does, and scowls when Changkyun and Kihyun take one look at each other before both reaching out and pinching his red cheeks. “Stop,” he whines. 

“Never,” Changkyun replies, squeezing his cheek even harder. 

“Can we not compliment our boyfriend?” Kihyun asks innocently. He looks kinda ridiculous holding onto a shark plushie that’s practically the same size as he is, but also it’s endearing. 

“Compliment each other,” Hyungwon says, pretending to hate the attention even though it’s obvious that he doesn’t. 

They both shower Hyungwon in compliments instead and he continues to pretend that he hates it, even though his blush is a dead giveaway. 

Thankfully, neither of them point out how obvious he is, and instead spend the next hour of them walking around the fair and eating food giving him compliments whenever they possibly can. 

“I’m not sure I can ever move again,” Changkyun complains, holding his hands to his stomach. 

Hyungwon feels the same. They’d wanted to try all of the new, different, exciting foods available at the fair that they knew would possibly be their only chance to eat, and so had ended up eating far more than any of their stomachs could handle. 

“We have to move,” Kihyun says. He has his shark plushie on the bench next to him, a protective arm wrapped around it, and Hyungwon almost feels like the shark plushie is becoming an addition to their relationship with how attached Kihyun has become to it already. “I want to go on the ferris wheel.”

And neither of them can deny Kihyun of what he wants, so despite the fact Hyungwon could happily sit at this bench and not move for at least another few hours, he forces himself to stand up and start the long walk to the ferris wheel, because for some reason the ferris wheel was set up far away from everything else at the fair. 

As they walk, Hyungwon feels a hand slip into his, and he looks over and sees Changkyun looking forward blankly like he hasn’t done anything, but then the corner of his mouth twitches like he’s trying to hide a smile, so Hyungwon rolls his eyes fondly. He squeezes Changkyun’s hand with a smile. 

When they reach the ferris wheel, Changkyun and Hyungwon are still hand in hand but Kihyun is clinging onto his shark with both of his hands. There’s a small queue for the ferris wheel, so they end up having to wait about ten minutes before it’s their turn to get on, but once it is Hyungwon is rather excited. 

He’s never had a chance to go on a ferris wheel before, but he’s always seen them in the movies, especially during those cheesy romantic scenes, so his first time on a ferris wheel being with his boyfriends feels perfect. 

It’s a bit of a tight squeeze getting onto their seat as the seats definitely aren’t made for three grown men plus a shark plushie, but they make it work, and then the wheel is moving and they're ascending up into the air. 

The sky is beginning to darken as the sun starts to set and it’s the perfect background as they get higher and higher towards the sky. 

Hyungwon, who’s sitting in the middle, grabs hold of Changkyun and Kihyun’s hands. “This is perfect,” he says quietly. 

“It is,” Changkyun agrees. “I wonder if Minhyuk managed to convince Hoseok to come on here with them. That would’ve been funny to see.”

“Is he afraid of heights?” Hyungwon asks. 

“Deadly,” Kihyun agrees. “But Minhyuk is persuasive, so I don’t doubt that they got Hoseok on here.”

The wheel keeps going around, stopping every now and then as people get off and new people get on, and eventually they come to a stop at the very top of the wheel. 

“So, want to so that cringey romantic thing where we kiss on top of a ferris wheel?” Changkyun asks, a grin on his face. 

Hyungwon doesn’t reply with words, instead leaning over to cup Changkyun’s face and pull him in for a kiss. 

Changkyun makes a startled noise, but then kisses Hyungwon back, his hands making their way to Hyungwon’s waist. 

They break apart at an impatient cough behind Hyungwon. 

Hyungwon kisses Changkyun’s lips quickly once more with a laugh, and then turns to look at Kihyun, who’s looking nonchalantly off into the distance. 

“Ki?” Hyungwon prompts. 

Kihyun turns to him and then wastes no time leaning over to kiss Hyungwon ever so gently, much gentler than Hyungwon expected after his clear display of impatience. Kihyun pulls away and giggles slightly, seeming embarrassed. Then, with a gasp, he covers his mouth and says, “I wasn’t meant to kiss you in case I got you sick.”

“I don’t care if you get me sick,” Hyungwon says, rolling his eyes. “Now kiss me again, idiot.”

And so Kihyun does. 

* * *

Even though it’s dark outside now, the fair is still going on, and there’s still some time before they agreed to meet the rest of their friends back at the van, so Hyungwon, Kihyun and Changkyun decide to wander around the fair a bit more. 

It’s a different atmosphere now that it’s dark, but in a good way. There are colourful lights on around all of the stalls and everyone seems to be smiling and laughing even more. It makes Hyungwon happy to see. 

“I want candy floss,” Changkyun says. 

“You already had candy floss,” Hyungwon points out. 

“But I want it again.”

Hyungwon looks over at Kihyun to see what he thinks, but Kihyun just shrugs at him and then says to Changkyun, “I’ll buy you some.”

“Whipped,” Hyungwon mutters through a fake cough. 

Kihyun rounds on him, glaring. “Rich coming from you. Don’t think I didn’t see you buying Changkyun candy floss earlier even though we said we weren't going to buy him any.”

“Now, now, boys,” Changkyun says, getting between the two of them. “There’s no need to fight over who’s more whipped for me. I appreciate all levels of whipped-ness.”

Kihyun jabs Changkyun’s back. “Idiot,” he murmurs. 

Changkyun whirls around and plants a kiss on Kihyun’s lips. “Your idiot.”

“That’s gay,” Kihyun and Hyungwon say simultaneously, which sends the both of them into fits of laughter, even though it isn’t even that funny. 

“You both suck,” Changkyun whines. He stomps off ahead of them, forcing them both to run a little to catch up. 

Hyungwon slips his hand into Changkyun’s and swings their hands dramatically between them, which ends up making Changkyun smile. 

“Oh! Candy floss, look.” Changkyun points to a candy floss stand, then pulls Hyungwon over there with him.

Kihyun trails behind them a bit, and Hyungwon looks at him worried. “Are you okay?”

Kihyun yawns widely and nods. “Just starting to feel tired. I’m fine.”

Hyungwon isn’t convinced, but they’ll be heading back to the van soon anyway so there’s no point in trying to convince Kihyun to go back now, especially not when Hyungwon knows how stubborn Kihyun can be. 

Changkyun ends up getting his candy floss rather quickly (which Kihyun does in fact pay for) and he offers some to Hyungwon and Kihyun before starting to devour the whole thing. 

They keep walking around looking at all the different stalls as Changkyun eats his candy floss. 

He’s almost finished it when suddenly he inhales sharply. 

Hyungwon looks over, confused, to see Changkyun’s finger is bleeding. “What happened?”

Changkyun turns to look at Hyungwon with his lower lip jutting out. “The stick splintered and cut me.”

Now that Hyungwon looks closer, he can see that the wood of the stick that’s holding Changkyun’s candy floss has in fact splintered. “I’m sorry, baby. Does it hurt?”

Changkyun nods. “I need a kiss to make it better.”

So, Hyungwon leans over and kisses Changkyun gently. “Better?”

“Yes,” Changkyun replies, “but I meant on my cut.”

Hyungwon looks at the cut on Changkyun’s finger, but he can’t do it. “I really don’t do blood, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Changkyun says. Then, he turns to Kihyun and says, “Kiss it better, please.”

Much to Hyungwon’s surprise, Kihyun doesn’t even protest, just leans down and kisses Changkyun’s injury. Then, when he pulls away, he smacks his lips together with his nose scrunched up. “I think I just ingested your blood.”

“Maybe Changkyun was right with that whole vampire thing,” Hyungwon jokes. 

Kihyun bares his teeth. “Watch out. I’ll get you when you’re sleeping.”

Hyungwon giggles. “You’re gonna bite us while we sleep?”

“Isn’t that basically vore?” Changkyun pipes up. 

Hyungwon, still giggling, smacks him on the arm. “Why do you always make it worse?”

Changkyun grins widely. “It’s a talent.”

* * *

When Hyungwon wakes up the next morning, his head feels like it could explode with how much it’s pounding. He tries to sit up, but he feels so dizzy he ends up lying right back down. 

“You okay?” Minhyuk, who was walking past Hyungwon but has now come to a stop beside him, asks. 

Hyungwon nods, but it ends up making his head feel worse, and so he groans loudly. “I think I’m sick.”

Kihyun comes hurrying over to Hyungwon and crouches down next to him. “Did you just say you’re sick?”

“Yeah,” Hyungwon says, and then explains what his symptoms are, and the more he says, the paler Kihyun seems to get. 

“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Minhyuk asks. 

Kihyun looks between them and Hyungwon like a deer caught in headlights. 

“Ki?” Hyungwon prompts. 

Kihyun sighs and grabs a hold of Hyungwon’s hand. “I think I might have given you the virus.”

Hyungwon’s mind goes completely blank. “I— What?”

Kihyun bites his lip. “Those are the symptoms I had and I kissed you even though I said I wouldn’t.”

Hyungwon doesn’t know how to feel, or even what he feels right now. He just feels blank, like the information just won’t sink in. He never even really accepted that Kihyun has the virus, convincing himself it was fine and Kihyun would be fine. But now he might have the virus himself and he doesn’t know how he’s meant to accept that. 

The first thing he realises is that it feels like there’s a pit in his stomach. And then, he’s tearing up, because he’s afraid, so afraid, and he never thought this would happen. 

“Oh, no, baby, no. Don’t cry.” Kihyun cups Hyungwon’s cheeks and wipes away his tears before they can fall. “You’re fine, you’ll be fine. We’ll be back to Seoul soon.”

Hyungwon wishes so hard that he could believe him, but he’s just so terrified that he can’t. 

Then, Hyungwon realises that Kihyun looks a hundred times better than he did yesterday. “Why aren’t you sick anymore?”

Kihyun frowns. “What do you mean? Of course I’m still sick.” Then, he pauses, and his eyes widen. “I’m not sick anymore. What the fuck.”

“Did you literally pass on the virus to Hyungwon and cure yourself from it in doing so?” Minhyuk asks astounded. 

The whole situation makes no sense, and Hyungwon really doesn’t know what to think. “I’m going back to sleep. Wake me up when you’ve figured it out.”

* * *

Hyungwon wakes up to a hushed conversation happening near him. His head still doesn’t feel any better than it did when he woke up before, but he’s sure it’s probably getting late by now, so he forces himself to sit up, trying to ignore the pounding in his head, and shuffles over to where all his friends are sitting and talking. 

“Oh, you’re awake,” Hyunwoo says. “How are you feeling?”

“Terrible.” Hyungwon curls up at Changkyun’s side and rests his head on his shoulder.

Changkyun squeezes him and kisses the top of his head lightly. 

“What did I miss while I was sleeping?”

“We’re trying to figure out why Kihyun’s miraculously cured,” Hyunwoo answers. “Because if we figure that out, we can figure out how to cure you, too.”

Hyungwon hums, too exhausted to speak more. 

“I have no idea what it could be,” Kihyun admits. “Nothing really happened that could’ve possibly cured me, unless it is actually possible that I just gave it to Hyungwon, which I doubt.”

“Maybe it’s the vampire cure,” Changkyun jokes. 

Hyungwon snorts. 

“Shut up,” Kihyun says with an eyeroll. 

“Vampire cure?” Hoseok asks. 

Kihyun sighs. “ _Someone_ ,” he starts, looking pointedly at Changkyun, “cut their finger and made me kiss it better and it was very bloody.”

“Changkyun,” Hyunwoo says seriously, “you don’t have any symptoms, right?”

“Nope, I feel fine. Well, other than that cold I had, but that wasn’t the virus.”

Hyunwoo hums contemplatively. 

“But why does that matter?” Kihyun asks. 

“Changkyun could somehow be immune, and when you accidentally ingested some of his blood that immunity passed onto you,” Hyunwoo explains.

It makes some sense to Hyungwon, but he also doesn’t really know a lot about science or how that even works. He trusts Hyunwoo’s judgement, though, as he out of all of them probably has the best idea about what could be going on. 

“How can we confirm it, though? It could’ve just been something else that cured me,” Kihyun says. 

“Well,” is all Hyunwoo manages to say before Changkyun’s bloody finger is shoved in Hyungwon’s face.

“Drink up, baby,” Changkyun says with a grin.

Hyungwon recoils and scrunches his nose up. “Get your gross finger out of my face.”

“This is how we test if I’m immune.” Changkyun puts his finger closer, and Hyungwon moves back as he does so. 

“This might be the only way to cure you of the virus,” Hyunwoo says. 

And that might be the case, but this is Changkyun’s _blood_ they're talking about. “I’d rather have the virus.”

Changkyun looks at Hyungwon with this glint in his eye and Hyungwon doesn’t like it one bit. 

So, he pushes himself up with all of the strength left in his exhausted, aching body and he runs. 

* * *

As much as Hyungwon hates to admit it, he feels so much better than he did this morning, which means Hyunwoo was right and somehow Changkyun is immune to the virus, and therefore can cure people. 

He’s still not happy about having to ingest blood, though, because that’s unsanitary, even if it had ended up curing him. 

They’re finally back in Seoul now, which is strange because they all still thought it was under quarantine. 

Currently, the van is parked up near Changkyun and Kihyun’s building while Hyunwoo has gone into a nearby shop to find out about the status of the virus. Hyungwon’s curled up with his head in Kihyun’s lap. 

It’s bittersweet, being back in Seoul. Hyungwon’s glad to be home because he’s missed it here, but he’s also scared that the change will ruin the new dynamic of their friendship group. 

Realistically, he knows things won’t really change. Minhyuk’s offered him a job at their cafe, so he’s going to get to spend time with Minhyuk, Hoseok and Jooheon a lot. He lives with Hyunwoo, so he knows that he’ll still see him, and they are best friends, after all. And as for Changkyun and Kihyun, well, they’ve already made a ton of date plans. So, if Hyungwon thinks about it, everything will be fine. 

But still, there’s always that fear of change and things being different. 

“What’re you thinking about?” Kihyun asks, booping Hyungwon’s nose. 

“I’m sad the trip’s over,” he admits. “I don’t want things to change.”

“They won’t change. You’re stuck with all of us for life now,” Kihyun reassures. 

“For life sounds good.”

The van door slides open and Hyunwoo pokes his head in. “They found a cure so it’s safe now.”

“Well, that’s anticlimactic,” Changkyun whines. “I wanted to be the hero for once.”

“You saved me and Kihyun, at least,” Hyungwon offers, smiling at the pouting Changkyun.

“Saving a city sounds cooler.”

Hyungwon rolls his eyes, but lets Changkyun whine and pout. He knows he’ll get over it soon enough. 

As Hyunwoo starts up the van once again and begins the short drive back to Kihyun and Changkyun’s building to drop them off, Hyungwon realises that Kihyun’s right. 

The road trip might be over, but it doesn’t mean their story is over. He met his best friends on this trip, as well as the two loves of his life, and that makes it all worthwhile, even if it does have to come to an end.

He’ll forever have all the memories from the trip and the experiences he’s had will never be lost, and so he smiles for those memories, and for all the memories that he’ll make in the future with the people in this van with him. His best friends and his boyfriends. Or, as he prefers to call them: his family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> n thats it!! thank u so much for reading n kudos n comments r very appreciated!!


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